Tel Aviv [Israel], August 3 (ANI): Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump are in advanced talks over a comprehensive ceasefire and hostage release proposal for Gaza, issuing a firm ultimatum to Hamas, The Jerusalem Post reported, citing Israeli broadcaster N12.
The reported plan calls for Hamas to immediately disarm and release all hostages. In exchange, the United States would lead the formation of an international administration to govern Gaza. “We know from testimonies of freed hostages and from the information we have today that the hostages’ captors do not appear this way,” a senior Israeli official was quoted as saying. “This is deliberate starvation, not only to abuse the hostages but to torment their families and the public.”
The Jerusalem Post recalled that during a state visit to Qatar in May, President Trump floated the idea of U.S. control over Gaza. “If it’s necessary, I think I’d be proud to have the United States have it, take it, make it a freedom zone,” Trump said at a business roundtable. He added that Hamas “is going to have to be dealt with” and envisioned safe housing for civilians.
The proposal signals a significant shift in U.S. involvement in the region, depending on Hamas’ response. However, its viability is already being questioned.
According to Al Jazeera, Hamas categorically rejected claims that it would agree to disarm. In a statement issued Saturday, Hamas reaffirmed its “national and legal” right to resist Israeli occupation. “The resistance and its weapons are a national and legal right as long as the [Israeli] occupation persists,” the group said, adding that such rights would not be relinquished until the full establishment of a sovereign Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.
The statement came in response to remarks allegedly made by U.S. special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, during a meeting with families of Israeli captives. Israeli outlet Haaretz cited a recording in which Witkoff reportedly claimed that Hamas was “prepared to be demilitarized.” Hamas strongly denied the assertion.
Witkoff had met with the families in Tel Aviv a day after visiting a controversial U.S. and Israeli-backed food distribution site in Gaza, operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). Hamas criticized the envoy’s visit as a “staged show,” accusing him of downplaying worsening humanitarian conditions. The group highlighted a United Nations report that over 1,300 Palestinians have been killed while attempting to access food at GHF-run distribution points since May.
Despite criticism, the Trump administration continues to support the organization, announcing $30 million in funding for GHF in June, Al Jazeera reported.
Witkoff’s remarks on potential disarmament come amid broader international efforts to recognize Palestinian statehood. At a two-day UN conference in New York this week, the United Kingdom signaled that it might follow France in recognizing a Palestinian state in September if Israel does not implement a ceasefire.
UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy echoed Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s earlier position, stating that Britain would proceed with recognition under certain conditions. The UN gathering saw 17 countries, along with the European Union and the Arab League, endorse a seven-page document supporting a two-state solution.
The joint text called on Hamas to “end its rule in Gaza and hand over its weapons to the Palestinian Authority, with international engagement and support, in line with the objective of a sovereign and independent Palestinian state,” according to Al Jazeera.
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