Israeli activist Gershon Baskin conveys US truce plan to Hamas

JERUSALEM — Veteran Israeli peace activist Gershon Baskin has conveyed a ceasefire proposal from the Trump administration to Hamas, he told Al-Monitor.

Baskin relayed the messages to senior Hamas official Ghazi Hamad, and Qatar delivered the formal proposal to the group.

Hamad was Baskin’s counterpart in the negotiations over Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier captured by Hamas in 2006 and released as part of a 2011 prisoner exchange. After the Oct. 7 massacre, Baskin for several months cut contact with Hamad, with whom he’d maintained a backchannel for 18 years. 

Baskin said the proposed ceasefire would require Hamas to release the 48 remaining hostages held in the Gaza Strip, including the 20 whom Israeli authorities believe are still alive. He added that the ceasefire plan offers new incentives for the militant group compared to previous proposals, though he did not elaborate.

Israel’s Channel 12 reported Sunday that the proposal calls for all hostages to be released on the first day of a truce, with the possibility of ending the war in Gaza if follow-up negotiations succeed. 

The latest attempt at a truce comes after Hamas said Aug. 18 that it had agreed to a temporary ceasefire put forward by mediators Qatar and Egypt. The deal envisioned the phased release of some remaining hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

Israel has yet to formally respond to the Hamas offer, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is insisting on a “comprehensive” deal. His stated conditions for ending the war include the full release of hostages and the complete disarmament of Hamas.

Trump on Sunday issued what he said was his "last warning" to the Palestinian militants.

"The Israelis have accepted my terms. It is time for Hamas to accept as well,” Trump wrote on social media. “I have warned Hamas about the consequences of not accepting. This is my last warning.”

In a statement, Hamas said it was ready to "immediately sit at the negotiating table" after receiving "some ideas from the American side aimed at reaching a ceasefire.”

The Trump administration’s renewed diplomacy comes as Israel prepares to launch a full-scale assault on Gaza City, which experts warn could endanger the hostages and result in heavy Palestinian civilian casualties. The nearly two-year war has killed more than 64,000 people in the Gaza Strip, a majority of whom health officials in the Hamas-run territory say are women and children.

Asked if he was optimistic about a ceasefire, Baskin said it was a “difficult question” to answer.

“We are dealing with two very unreliable parties and an unpredictable US president,” he said. “But the war must end now.”