Trump issues stark ultimatum for Hamas to accept Gaza plan, sets deadline

US President Donald Trump has issued a weekend ultimatum to Hamas, saying the group must accept a US-backed 20‑point ceasefire and postwar plan by 6 p.m. Eastern Time on Sunday, October 5 (2:00 a.m. on October 6 GMT+4), or face intensified military action.

In a post on his Truth Social account, Trump described Hamas as a “ruthless and violent threat” and framed the proposal as a final opportunity to end the violence, Caliber.Az reports.

“This LAST CHANCE agreement” must be accepted by the stated deadline, he wrote, warning that if it is not, “all HELL, like no one has ever seen before, will break out against Hamas.”

The post reiterated demands for the immediate release of all hostages, including the return of the bodies of those killed.

“RELEASES THE HOSTAGES, ALL OF THEM, INCLUDING THE BODIES OF THOSE THAT ARE DEAD, NOW!” Trump wrote in all CAPS, and urged Palestinian civilians to move to safer parts of Gaza, saying they “will be well cared for by those that are waiting to help.”

Trump also said the plan had backing from a coalition of regional states and described it as a historic opportunity for peace.

“Great, powerful, and very rich Nations of the Middle East, and the surrounding areas beyond, together with the United States of America, have agreed, with Israel signing on, to PEACE,” he wrote, adding that the proposal “Spares the lives of all remaining Hamas fighters.”

The post included stark language about military options, saying that many Hamas fighters were “surrounded and MILITARILY TRAPPED, just waiting for me to give the word, ‘GO,’ for their lives to be quickly extinguished,” and warning that those who remain “will be hunted down, and killed.”

Trump framed the plan as a definitive path to end the long-running conflict in the region.

“We will have PEACE in the Middle East one way or the other. The violence and bloodshed will stop,” he wrote.

The Trump administration discussed its Middle East peace plan with a group of Arab and Muslim leaders in September on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. The full text of the plan was later unveiled during a White House meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, marking his fourth visit under the Trump administration.

The plan does not outline a pathway to Palestinian statehood, a longstanding point of contention, and places few demands on Israel, whose military operations in Gaza have killed more than 66,000 Palestinians, including many women and children.

It proposes the redevelopment of Gaza into a “deradicalised terror-free zone that does not pose a threat to its neighbours” and requires Hamas to refrain from any role in governance “directly, indirectly, or in any form.” In return, humanitarian aid would be allowed into Gaza, where famine has been declared for half a million people amid an Israeli blockade restricting access to essential resources.

The proposal also calls for Hamas to release Israeli hostages and the bodies of those killed, while Israel would release 1,170 Gazans detained since the start of the war in October 2023, along with 250 people serving life sentences.

By Sabina Mammadli