Did Hamas catch Netanyahu off guard by accepting Trump’s peace deal?

As Hamas accepted the Gaza peace plan proposed by US President Donald Trump, despite the harsh conditions for the resistance group, many believe it was a diplomatic maneuver aimed at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who had expected the deal to fail and assumed it would be rejected by the other side.

While Hamas praised Trump and welcomed his efforts, the group did not clearly commit to complete disarmament or address other crucial questions about its role in Gaza. However, it did agree to key conditions regarding hostages and the transfer of governance to a body of technocrats that would be jointly decided by Palestinian and Arab officials.

Hamas has cornered Netanyahu politically, leaving him with little room to reject the deal. If he chooses to opt out, he risks a public snub from the US, especially since Trump has already ordered him to halt the bombardment of Gaza.

In the final part of its letter, Hamas emphasised that the remaining points of Trump’s peace plan would depend on future negotiations once the deal is set in motion.

The statement further underlined that Hamas intends to remain part of any eventual resolution of the Palestinian cause, should a genuine settlement be reached.

“As for other issues included in President Trump’s proposals concerning the future of Gaza Strip and the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, this is tied to a collective national position and in accordance with relevant international laws and resolutions, to be discussed within a comprehensive Palestinian national framework in which Hamas will be included and will contribute with full responsibility.” 

Israel is shocked by Trump sharing the statement from Hamas and praising it. Hamas cornered Israel diplomatically after embarrassing it militarily. The genocide might not stop and if it did Israel will likely violate the ceasefire. Either way, Israel took a humiliating blow

— Hadi (@HadiNasrallah) October 3, 2025

🚨Hamas has formally issued a written response to Trump’s ceasefire “proposal.”
It’s… surprisingly diplomatic, & dare I say, politically shrewd.
Because rather than rejecting it outright, Hamas flipped the table: they accepted the key humanitarian points: end of war, aid entry,… pic.twitter.com/iUnoQYWMBK

— Hala Jaber (@HalaJaber) October 3, 2025

the Hamas response to the Trump deal is brilliant. They basically reiterated their already stated position, but worded it in a way to make it sound like agreement with the Trump plan, then got Trump to repost it and demand Israel stop bombing, and completely destroyed the Israeli…

— ☀️👀 (@zei_squirrel) October 4, 2025

In all honesty, Hamas’s political maneuvers are top tier. They flipped the whole script. I believe they realize that Netanyahu was lying about ending the war, and that Trump’s peace deal is ambiguous and almost impossible to achieve . In their response, they made one thing clear:…

— rouand (@rouandx) October 3, 2025

Hamas dismantled Trump’s ‘peace plan’ by accepting its humanitarian terms but on their own conditions. Hostages can no longer justify slaughter and land theft. Israel is exposed. It can accept and end the war, or refuse and reveal itself as the true obstacle. Brilliant diplomacy.

— Afif Aqrabawi (@AjAqrabawi) October 3, 2025

A very smart worded response by Hamas.
Watch Netanyahu reject his own proposal so Israelis can continue their genocide.

— Hussein (@EyesOnSouth1) October 3, 2025