Hamas has reportedly sent a letter to President Donald Trump proposing a 60-day pause in fighting in Gaza in exchange for the immediate release of half of the remaining hostages.
The letter, reportedly confirmed by a senior Trump administration official and a second source directly involved in the talks, asked Trump to personally guarantee the deal.
Half of remaining hostages, an estimated 20 believed to be alive and another 30 suspected dead, is likely a deal-breaker for Trump, who has called on Hamas to immediately release all of the hostages.
Trump issued a blunt warning to Hamas last week, demanding the immediate release of hostages and acknowledging he is breaking from British Prime Minister Keir Starmer “on that score” of a two-state solution.
“I have a disagreement with the prime minister on that score,” Trump told reporters at Thursday’s joint news conference. “OK? One of our few disagreements, actually.”
Starmer urged an end to the fighting in Gaza, saying the crisis must not be allowed to spiral further. Trump, meanwhile, issued a direct warning to the remnants of Hamas’ leadership in Gaza and abroad.
“I want the hostages released now,” Trump said. “Right now. Not one, two, ‘We’ll give you three more tomorrow.’
“We have to remember Oct. 7, one of the worst, most violent days in the history of the world — not just theirs, but the history of the world,” Trump continued. “And I got to see the tapes, and I wish I didn’t see them, actually, but I got to see them, and I want an end.
“I want the hostages released. And I think it’s going to be OK. But it has been a brutal period of time … this has been going on for a long time. This is not something that’s over the last year or two years. This has been for decades and decades. But we want it to end.
“We have to have the hostages back immediately. That’s what the people of Israel want. They want them back. And we want the fighting to stop, and it’s going to stop.”
Trump repeated his warning against using hostages as human shields and “bait” to cling to power in Gaza and continue the war with Israel.
“Hamas said that they’re going to put the hostages up as bait,” Trump said. “They’re going to put the hostages in front of any attack. And that’s pretty brutal. We haven’t heard that one in a long time. So we have to remember that.”
Details on how the arrangement would be enforced or which hostages might be released were not immediately available.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.
