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On Friday, Hamas announced that it had backed certain aspects of Donald Trump's demand to end the war in Gaza, agreeing to a hostage exchange and to relinquish governing power in the coastal enclave, but stated that it wished further negotiations on other components of the plan.

The group remained silent on whether it would agree to lay down its arms – a critical component of the Trump plan – and remained vague its response to additional parts of the comprehensive strategy first proposed by Trump earlier this week.

It was unclear how Trump would respond to a conditional reply to his proposal, which arrived just hours after he issued a weekend deadline for the group to answer. He stated that if an agreement was not reached "all hell" would break out against Hamas, whose militants he portrayed as surrounded and trapped.

Key Agreements and Stipulations

In a announcement, Hamas said that it was providing its "endorsement of releasing all Israeli prisoners – both living and deceased – according to the swap terms contained in president Trump's plan, with the necessary practical arrangements for implementing the exchange."

The statement continued to state that Hamas was ready to turn over "governance of the Gaza Strip to a Palestinian body of non-partisan experts founded on Palestinian national consensus and backed by Arab and Islamic backing."

Issues Requiring Further Discussion

Nonetheless, the faction said that "remaining matters" in the strategy would need to be discussed further "through a consolidated local process." The unspecified issues that Hamas will seek talks on are likely to involve the issue of its arms, the pullout of Israeli forces from the region, and global guarantees for the enforcement of a lasting ceasefire.

Trump's proposal demanded an swift cessation to fighting in Gaza, an exchange of captives and Palestinian prisoners within three days of the deal's approval, a gradual retreat of state forces from Gaza, as well as the demilitarization of the group and a postwar interim administration led by Donald Trump.

Humanitarian and Reconstruction Provisions

The deal also specified a surge of assistance to the territory, areas of which are currently experiencing starvation, and rebuilding to the mostly destroyed strip.

The proposal was largely viewed as disadvantageous to Hamas and if agreed in entirety, would probably spell the group's end as an armed local faction while requiring few concessions from Israel. International influence on the faction to accept the plan, was tremendous though, with the majority of regional and world nations welcoming the Trump administration initiative.

Consequences of the Captive Release

Though the organization did not right away consent to lay down weapons, its agreement to release hostages will be seen as important. The forty-eight individuals have been used by the group as key bargaining power throughout the nearly 24-month conflict in its negotiations with the United States and Israeli officials. Releasing them will result in the group with few bargaining chips in the future.

Neither the U.S. administration nor Jewish state officials have yet replied to Hamas's appeal for amendments to the Trump's demand.

Conflict Toll and Background

The Israeli military campaign in Gaza has claimed at least over sixty-two thousand Palestinians and wounded about one hundred seventy thousand, according to the local health ministry. The war was launched by the Israeli government in reaction to Hamas-led fighters killing about 1,200 individuals and capturing two hundred fifty-one captives in the Jewish state about nearly 24 months ago.