Hamas ready to deal seriously with clear political offer, practical steps to end war

Osama Hamdan, a senior Hamas official, said that US President Donald Trump’s remarks about ending the war through the release of Israeli captives were “just an idea and not an actual proposal”.

In comments carried by Al Jazeera, Hamdan said the movement would deal seriously with any proposal if it was formally presented. 

He stressed that Hamas was not interested in hearing “positive talk” but wanted a clear political offer and a practical step “to stop the aggression and ensure the withdrawal of occupation forces”.

Hamdan underlined that Hamas would take any proposal seriously “if it met the Palestinian demand and addressed it clearly”.

He explained that Hamas had earlier put forward a comprehensive deal that would end the war completely, with Israel withdrawing from all areas of the Gaza Strip in return for the release of Israeli captives in exchange for an agreed number of Palestinian prisoners. The deal also included lifting the blockade, opening the crossings, and beginning reconstruction.

Hamdan urged Trump to exert pressure on Israel and its Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who, he said, had abandoned previous agreements on ceasefires and prisoner exchanges reached in November 2023 and January 2025.

He added that time was not only pressing on the Palestinian side but was also weighing on Israel, given the current shift in international opinion and its long-term consequences. He stressed that crushing the will of the Palestinian people was “impossible” and that they would never raise the flag of surrender.

READ: Israel rejects Hamas offer as ’empty propaganda’