Hamas’s decision to release all hostages under a ceasefire brokered by U.S. President Donald Trump has surprised many observers, not least because the militant group has long denounced Trump as a racist and a destabilizing force.
Yet, according to multiple Palestinian and U.S. officials, Hamas’s choice was the result of a calculated gamble: that Trump, despite his controversial record, could be the only leader capable of compelling Israel to stick to a peace deal.
The turning point came last month when Trump personally intervened following an Israeli airstrike on a residential complex in Doha, Qatar, that housed Hamas’s political leaders.
During a phone call after meeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, Trump reportedly apologized to Qatar’s prime minister for the attack, a gesture that resonated deeply with Hamas officials. “It showed he was willing to stand up to Netanyahu,” said one senior Palestinian official familiar with the talks.
That episode, combined with Trump’s earlier mediation in ending Israel’s 12-day war with Iran in June, convinced Hamas negotiators that the U.S. president might be serious about enforcing peace in Gaza.
The result was Wednesday’s Trump-brokered ceasefire, which took effect Friday.
Under the agreement, Hamas agreed to release all hostages without securing a full Israeli withdrawal, a major concession that relies heavily on Trump’s personal commitment to ensuring Israel honors the deal.
Negotiations were finalized this week at Egypt’s Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, where Trump’s close advisers, Jared Kushner and envoy Steve Witkoff, shuttled between Israeli, Qatari, and Hamas representatives.
Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and Turkey’s intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin also played crucial roles in breaking a last-minute deadlock over Israeli troop movements in Gaza.
Hamas’s shift in position was also driven by growing recognition that holding hostages had become a political liability. “They came to believe that continuing to hold hostages undermined international support for Palestinians,” a senior U.S. official said.
Still, the gamble carries significant risk. Hamas received only verbal assurances — not formal written guarantees, that Israel will not resume its military operations once the hostages are freed.
The group’s leaders fear a repeat of January’s ceasefire collapse, when Trump abruptly demanded that Hamas release all captives at once or face renewed fighting, a decision that led to thousands more deaths in Gaza.
Despite the uncertainty, Hamas leaders believe this time may be different. The involvement of multiple regional powers, Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey, and Trump’s personal investment in the outcome have raised hopes that the truce could hold.
Trump’s expected visit to the Middle East on Sunday, at the invitation of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, is seen as an effort to consolidate the agreement and project an image of diplomatic triumph.
For now, both Hamas and Israel have accepted a compromise that leaves key issues unresolved, including the future of Gaza’s governance and Hamas’s disarmament.
Yet as one regional diplomat put it, “Both sides still need something from each other, and that may be what keeps this fragile peace alive.”
Source: Reuters
Written By Rodney Mbua
