Trump’s 2025 Middle East Peace Plan – Hamas Rejects ‘Absurd’ Gaza Terms

GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories — Trump’s 2025 Middle East Peace Plan – Hamas Rejects ‘Absurd’ Gaza Terms, casting doubt on next phase of ceasefire. A senior Hamas leader said on Saturday that the Palestinian militant group will not attend the signing ceremony of the new Gaza peace deal in Egypt, dismissing parts of Donald Trump’s Middle East peace plan 2025 as “absurd” and “unrealistic,” even as a fragile ceasefire begins to hold in the war-ravaged enclave.

The decision, confirmed by political bureau member Hossam Badran, throws fresh uncertainty over the future of the much-publicized U.S.-brokered deal, which was expected to mark the official end of nearly two years of conflict between Israel and Hamas. “Talk about expelling Palestinians, whether they’re Hamas members or not, from their land is absurd and nonsense,” Badran told AFP, rejecting suggestions that Hamas leaders could leave Gaza under the plan.

Trump’s 2025 Middle East Peace Plan – Hamas Rejects ‘Absurd’ Gaza Terms

Ceasefire Begins, but Tensions Persist

The first phase of Trump’s 20-point peace plan began Friday when Israel agreed to a ceasefire and started withdrawing troops from parts of Gaza. Thousands of displaced Palestinians began returning to their shattered homes along Gaza’s coast, some on foot and others in battered vehicles, as calm returned for the first time in months.

The truce follows a devastating campaign that killed more than 67,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, and displaced over a million residents. The United Nations has described the casualty figures as credible and warned of a severe humanitarian crisis.

In exchange for the ceasefire, Hamas is required to release all remaining Israeli hostages by Monday noon — 47 in total, including deceased captives — while Israel will free about 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, including 250 serving life sentences for deadly attacks.

The exchange marks the largest such deal since the conflict began with Hamas’s October 7, 2023, assault, which left 1,219 people dead in Israel, mostly civilians, according to official figures.

Trump’s Middle East Visit and Egypt Summit

U.S. President Donald Trump, who helped broker the deal with support from Egypt and Qatar, is expected to arrive in the Middle East within 48 hours. His itinerary includes a high-profile peace summit in Egypt’s Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, co-chaired by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.

The summit will gather more than 20 world leaders, including UN Secretary-General António Guterres, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Italian and Spanish leaders Giorgia Meloni and Pedro Sánchez. However, there was no confirmation from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on his attendance.

The meeting aims to formalize the Gaza ceasefire and promote what Trump has called a “new era of peace and stability in the Middle East.” “We’re witnessing history — the most ambitious peace effort in decades,” Trump said before leaving Washington. “But this peace must be earned, and it must last.”

Hamas Refuses to Disarm

Despite the diplomatic momentum, Hamas leaders insist disarmament is non-negotiable. A senior official close to the group’s negotiating committee said that laying down arms is “out of the question,” even if Hamas relinquishes administrative control of Gaza.

Badran emphasized that Hamas’s weapons represent the collective defense of the Palestinian people rather than a militant arsenal.

“The weapons of Hamas are the weapons of all Palestinians. They are tools of defense against occupation — not aggression,” he said.

He added that Hamas expects the second phase of Trump’s plan to be “complex and difficult,” particularly over issues of governance and reconstruction.

Who Will Govern Gaza?

The second phase of Trump’s Middle East peace plan 2025 outlines the creation of a temporary multinational administration for Gaza, supported by Egypt, Qatar, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates.

The arrangement would be coordinated through a U.S.-led command center based in Israel. American officials have stressed that no U.S. troops will enter Gaza, though the U.S. military will play a coordinating role.

“We’re focused on ensuring security and humanitarian access,” said Admiral Brad Cooper, head of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), who visited Gaza on Saturday with Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and senior advisor Jared Kushner.

The trio later joined Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump in Tel Aviv to meet families of Israeli hostages, many of whom praised the renewed U.S. effort. “We finally feel hope, but we cannot stop now,” said Zairo Shachar Mohr Munder, whose uncle was abducted in 2023.

Scenes of Return: A City in Ruins

Across northern Gaza, weary residents returned to neighborhoods reduced to rubble. Entire city blocks in Gaza City’s Al-Rimal district were flattened by months of bombardment. “I stood before what used to be my house and cried,” said Raja Salmi, 52. “All those memories are now just dust.”

Drone footage released by AFP showed vast stretches of destruction, with twisted steel and broken concrete littering once-busy streets. Local civil defense officials estimate more than 500,000 Palestinians have already returned to Gaza City since the ceasefire began.

“The smell of death still lingers in the air,” said Sami Musa, 28, who came back to find his family’s home miraculously intact. “It felt like a ghost town — not Gaza.”

Hostage and Prisoner Exchanges Underway

Under the first phase of the plan, Hamas began preparations Saturday night to release Israeli hostages, coordinated through Qatari and Egyptian intermediaries. Hamas official Osama Hamdan told AFP that the prisoner exchange will begin “Monday morning as agreed.”

Israel’s Prison Service confirmed it had transferred 250 Palestinian security detainees to two holding facilities for release. Meanwhile, Trump and President Sisi are expected to chair the formal summit on the same day, symbolically marking the start of the next stage of the deal.

Hamas Rejects Idea of Leaving Gaza

Rumors had circulated that as part of the long-term plan, Hamas’s top leadership might be asked to relocate outside the enclave. But Badran dismissed such claims outright, calling them “ridiculous.”

“The Hamas leaders present in the Gaza Strip are on their land, among their families. That is their natural place,” he said. “Talk of expelling Palestinians, whether Hamas members or not, is absurd.”

The remarks underscore a central challenge facing Trump’s peace blueprint: Hamas’s refusal to cede its physical and symbolic foothold in Gaza, despite agreeing to a phased ceasefire.

A Fragile Hope Amid Skepticism

While the ceasefire brought cautious relief to civilians, experts warn the agreement could falter without credible political progress.

“The first phase looks promising, but the core disputes — Hamas’s weapons, Israel’s security concerns, and Palestinian governance — remain unresolved,” said Middle East analyst Dr. Lina Mansour of the Arab Policy Forum.

The United Nations has praised the humanitarian truce but called for sustained reconstruction efforts. Over 170,000 tons of aid have been cleared for transport into Gaza, pending Israeli approval if the ceasefire holds.

Also Read: 5 Key Developments from Gaza Peace Talks in Egypt under Trump’s Plan

The Human Toll of the War

The Gaza conflict, now stretching into its third year, has left deep scars.
According to UN and local estimates:

• 67,682 Palestinians killed, including thousands of women and children
• Over 1.2 million displaced
• 80% of infrastructure damaged or destroyed
• More than 1,200 Israeli deaths since October 2023

The devastation has turned entire neighborhoods into ghost towns, with many residents still searching for missing relatives under the rubble.

“This war destroyed everything — homes, families, dreams,” said Ahmed al-Khatib, a civil engineer who lost his parents and two siblings in an airstrike. “Now they ask us to talk about peace.”

International Response: Hope and Hesitation

World leaders cautiously welcomed Trump’s diplomatic push but urged restraint. UN Secretary-General Guterres called the ceasefire “a vital opportunity for lasting peace” but emphasized that Palestinian statehood must be addressed.

European leaders echoed similar sentiments, supporting reconstruction efforts but wary of premature celebrations. “The ceasefire is only the first step. Real peace requires justice and dignity,” said French President Emmanuel Macron upon arriving in Egypt.

Trump’s Bid for a Legacy

The Gaza ceasefire marks the most tangible diplomatic milestone of Trump’s second term, positioning him as a central broker in a region long mired in conflict. The White House has portrayed the initiative as evidence of renewed U.S. leadership in Middle Eastern diplomacy.

But critics argue that the plan heavily favors Israeli security interests and imposes unrealistic expectations on Hamas and Palestinian society.

“The plan is ambitious but fragile,” said Dr. Karim Haddad, a regional policy researcher. “Without trust and mutual concessions, it could collapse like earlier peace attempts.”

Also Read: Trump Lays Out Powerful Plan To End Gaza War, While Warning Hamas To Accept Terms

The Road Ahead

As Trump prepares to land in Egypt, Hamas’s defiance and Israel’s caution underline the fragility of the current calm. Even as hostages are freed and troops withdraw, the political landscape remains volatile.

“If Israel attacks again, the resistance will fight back,” Badran warned. “We hope not to return to war, but we will defend ourselves.” For Gaza’s weary residents, the coming days may decide whether the Trump Middle East peace plan 2025 becomes a historic turning point — or just another chapter in a cycle of war and ceasefire.