A key ally of Hamas, the Iranian-backed terrorist group Islamic Jihad, has endorsed key parts of Donald Trump's plan to end the Gaza War.
Islamic Jihad holds several Israeli hostages, as well as some Palestinians. They accepted several essential parts of the deal, including ending the war, Israel's withdrawal, and the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian captives.
Islamic Jihad said: "Hamas' [reaction] to Trump's plan represents the position of the Palestinian resistance factions, and the Islamic Jihad participated responsibly in the consultations that led to this decision."
Meanwhile, Hamas said on Friday that it accepted several key elements of Trump's deal, including the release of hostages. However, sources in Qatar told the Wall Street Journal that there is a split in the Hamas camp between the political and military factions.
The sticking points involve Hamas failing to reach a "consensus about disarming and under what conditions to let the hostages go, said Arab officials from countries mediating with Hamas," reports the Journal.
These are the two most critical elements of the deal, which could ensure some kind of uneasy peace in the near future.
The split in Hamas is not only between the military and political wings of the group. The faction wanting to accept the deal is based outside of Gaza in Dubai and Egypt. The terrorists on Gaza are resisting disarmament, refusing to give up their automatic weapons, which they claim are "defensive."
The military wing of the group is worried that the loosely organized cadres who make up the bulk of Hamas fighters won't accept a deal that includes disarmament.
The organization has recruited many young men since the war began, often those who saw their homes destroyed or family members killed. Such fighters might be unwilling to lay down their arms.
The plan’s most contentious points are requirements that Hamas disarm, hand over its weapons and release the 48 Israeli hostages it still holds—alive and dead—within 72 hours of agreeing.
Critics within the group dismiss the proposal as “a 72-hour truce” rather than a genuine peace agreement, reflecting their lack of trust in Israel. Hamas on Friday said it wanted more “negotiations to discuss the details,” which appears to include the release of hostages.
Trump weighed in Friday on social media, saying he believed Hamas “is ready for a lasting PEACE.” He called on Israel to “immediately stop the bombing of Gaza” to ensure safe conditions for hostages to be released. His statement reflected agreement in the White House that Hamas had accepted the plan.
There is not much trust between Palestinians and Israel, especially the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
One Jerusalem resident, Jamal Shihada, fears that Netanyahu will back away from the deal at the last moment.
"What is important is that Netanyahu does not sabotage this, because now that Hamas agreed, Netanyahu will disagree, as he usually does," Shihada said.
Trump believes that Hamas is ready for peace.
Some members of Congress are unconvinced that Hamas is ready to throw in the towel.
Hamas’ recent response to President Trump’s plan to end the war — which Israel had accepted — is unfortunately predictable. A classic “Yes, but.”
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) October 3, 2025
No disarmament, keeping Gaza under Palestinian control, and tying hostage release to negotiations, along with other problems.
This… https://t.co/s4Q31AkZac
The sad fact is that Hamas may be so riven with factionalism that making a genuine peace with the terrorists could be out of reach. This is the same issue that faced the Carter administration in 1979-80 during the hostage crisis. Several times before the 1980 election, the Iranians appeared ready to make a deal to release the hostages in return for releasing some of Iran's frozen assets.
At that point, several different armed groups held hostages. If one of the groups balked at a deal, the agreement was off. The U.S. was not going to let Iran dangle hostages for weeks or months, releasing them piecemeal.
Finally, after Reagan defeated Carter and the latter was ready to leave the White House, Ayatollah Khomeini gave the order he could have given a year earlier. All groups agreed to release the Americans.
I'm not convinced that Hamas is ready to give up its arms or leave Gaza. I think they believe they can get a better deal. Trump and Netanyahu should disabuse Hamas of that notion, or the war will continue.
