‘All Hell Will Break Out’: Trump Gives Hamas Final Ultimatum To Accept 20-Step Ceasefire Proposal for Gaza

Latest Developments

Presidential Ultimatum: U.S. President Donald Trump on October 3 gave Hamas one final chance to accept his 20-point plan for a lasting ceasefire in Gaza, warning that failure to agree would mean “all hell, like no one has ever seen before, will break out” against the Iran-backed terrorist organization. “An Agreement must be reached with Hamas by Sunday evening at six (6) p.m., Washington, D.C. time,” Trump stated, demanding that Hamas release “the hostages, all of them, including the bodies of those that are dead, now!” The president asserted that “25,000 Hamas ‘soldiers’ have already been killed,” and “most of the rest are surrounded and militarily trapped, just waiting for me to give the word, ‘Go,’ for their lives to be quickly extinguished.”
Initial Details of the Plan: The Trump administration’s proposal, which has already been accepted by Israel, demands the release of “all hostages, alive and deceased,” within 72 hours of “Israel publicly accepting” the agreement, only after which Israel would release any Palestinian prisoners in exchange. The president also assured Israel that if Hamas rejects the deal, the IDF has Washington’s “full backing to do what [it] would” to defeat Hamas. A senior Hamas figure said on September 30 that the terrorist organization is dissatisfied with the terms of the plan, while Hamas’s leader in Gaza, Izz al-Din al-Hadad, indicated to mediators on October 1 that he is leaning toward rejecting the proposal.
Israel Encircles Hamas Positions in Gaza City: Over 800,000 people have fled Gaza City since Israel launched its ground operation to root out Hamas in the area. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on October 1 that the IDF has nearly encircled the city after seizing the western portion of the Netzarim Corridor, which bisects Gaza between its northern and southern regions. Qatari, Egyptian, and Turkish mediators have urged Hamas in recent days to accept Trump’s plan immediately to prevent the war in Gaza from escalating further, after the president initially gave the group “three to four” days to respond.

FDD Expert Response

“President Trump faces a delicate calculation: how much time to give Hamas to accept or reject the deal. Granting the Islamist group too wide a window risks affording it space to devise new ways to stall or sabotage the process. Conversely, a deadline set too tightly could derail a negotiation that might otherwise succeed. If Hamas truly prioritizes ending the suffering of the Palestinian people, it must not squander this opportunity to relieve them of almost two years of war.” — Joe Truzman, Senior Research Analyst and Editor at FDD’s Long War Journal

“American diplomatic pressure and Israeli military operations are steadily decreasing both international lifelines for Hamas and the size of the battlefield in Gaza. Likewise, several Arab and Muslim states have increased pressure upon Hamas to accept Trump’s plan. As the president has spelled out with no uncertainty, there won’t be a better off-ramp for the terrorist organization: Hamas must accept the proposal decisively or face its continued destruction.” — Aaron Goren, Research Analyst and Editor