Shafaq News – Washington

Hamas has sent a letter to US President Donald Trump seeking guarantees for a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza in exchange for the release of half the Israeli hostages, US media reported on Monday.

Fox News, citing a senior US official, said the letter requests assurances that a truce would remain in place as long as talks continue, ending the war and securing the release of remaining captives. The message is currently with Qatari mediators and is expected to be delivered to Trump this week, according to the report.

Hamas did not comment on the reports.

The development comes as Trump has repeatedly urged Hamas to accept his terms, warning earlier this month that “there will be no further warning.” He said Israel had already agreed to the US proposal and that “it is time for Hamas to do the same.” Trump later added that he believes a deal “is not far off.”

The US proposal, conveyed by Envoy Steve Witkoff through mediators, calls for Hamas to release all 48 remaining Israeli hostages—both living and deceased—in return for a ceasefire and the end of Israel’s military campaign to seize Gaza City, according to an Israeli official familiar with the plan.

The deal would also require Israel to free between 2,500 and 3,000 Palestinian prisoners, including hundreds serving life sentences, Axios reported. Once a ceasefire is announced, negotiations would begin on ending the war, including Israel’s demand for Hamas to disarm and the group’s call for a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.

The Israeli military says 47 hostages remain in Gaza, 25 of whom are dead, out of 251 people captured during Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack.

Meanwhile, Israel’s offensive in Gaza has killed at least 65,344 people, the majority civilians, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.