Report: Hamas Gives ‘Positive’ Response to Ceasefire-Hostage Deal Proposal

Hamas provided a “positive” response Friday to a new proposal for a ceasefire-and-hostage deal with Israel that could wind down the war in Gaza, which began with the Hamas terror attack of October 7, 2023.

As Breitbart News has reported, a potential 60-day ceasefire is emerging, under which Hamas would release 10 living Israeli hostages (out of 20) and 18 dead hostages (out of 30). The remainder of the hostages would be released following a final armistice, which would be negotiated during the 60-day period. Other details of the deal are murky, including the fate of Hamas leaders and whether the organization would have to disarm.

President Donald Trump was reported Thursday to have expected a response from Hamas within 24 hours. Reuters cited a Palestinian official who said Hamas’s response was “positive and should help reaching a deal.”

A ceasefire in Gaza might be easier to achieve now that Iran, Hamas’s main sponsor, has been defeated in the 12 Day War. part of a broader peace deal that would see Saudi Arabia, Syria, and possibly other states join the Abraham Accords, and establish peace and normalization with Israel. That deal, in turn, would help to end decades of war and animosity, opening a path to trade between India and Europe across the Middle East.

Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of Trump 2.0: The Most Dramatic ‘First 100 Days’ in Presidential History, available for Amazon Kindle. He is also the author of The Trumpian Virtues: The Lessons and Legacy of Donald Trump’s Presidency, now available on Audible. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.