DayofPal—Hamas has proposed a long-term ceasefire lasting up to a decade in exchange for a full Israeli military withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, according to a senior Palestinian official familiar with ongoing negotiations.
The official, who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the talks, said Hamas presented the proposal to Egyptian, Qatari and Turkish mediators during meetings in Cairo last week.
Under the plan, Hamas would freeze all resistant operations, “bury” its weapons inside Gaza, and commit to a long-term truc lasting seven to ten years.
“Hamas is offering a guarantee that no weapon will be fired from Gaza towards Israel,” the official said. Mediating countries would supervise the agreement and act as guarantors to ensure both sides’ compliance.
The offer marks a significant shift. Hamas has long insisted it would only surrender weapons under a democratically elected government of a fully sovereign Palestinian state.
The new proposal focuses solely on Gaza and does not address the West Bank, where Israeli raids have continued despite the current ceasefire.
According to the official, the shift reflects changing regional dynamics, especially Egypt’s tougher stance on Israel’s restrictions at the Rafah crossing. Cairo has insisted that Palestinians must be allowed to move in both directions, including displaced families wanting to return home, a demand Israel continues to resist.
Qatar’s Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani warned at the Doha Forum that the ceasefire has reached a “critical point”, stressing that Israel must withdraw fully from Gaza and reopen Rafah for normal movement.
Since the truce began on 10 October, Gaza Government Media Office says Israel has committed more than 600 violations, killing at least 360 people in strikes and drone attacks.
Israel maintains troops along what it calls the “yellow line”, effectively controlling more than half of the Gaza Strip, including key farmland.
Despite its dissatisfaction with the ceasefire’s terms, Hamas accepted the deal in October to halt the war, the official said. “The priority was to stop the killing. Other unresolved issues are now being discussed among Palestinian factions.”
US President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan for Gaza includes deploying an International Stabilization Force (ISF) and forming a technocratic Palestinian government.
However, diplomats say no clear framework exists for how such a force would operate, who would command it, or where it would be stationed.
“No country will send troops without clarity,” the official added, noting that ideas have been floated but no concrete plan has emerged.
The official said Hamas believes international perceptions are shifting, pointing to recent disagreements between Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, including over Trump’s suggestion of granting amnesty to Hamas fighters surrounded in Rafah.
“All major capitals know Israel is the party violating the ceasefire,” he said. “Hamas has fulfilled its commitments.”
But he acknowledged that the situation remains delicate: “These days are very difficult, but they are one moment in a long struggle.”
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