US President Donald Trump on Tuesday afternoon said he was giving Hamas "three or four days" to respond to his plan to end the war on Gaza, saying it would be a "very sad end" if they do not.
Speaking to reporters, he said there was "not much" room for further negotiation, adding he wants "the hostages back immediately and some good behaviour".
Hamas's negotiating team on Tuesday said it was reviewing a 20-point plan put forward by Trump to end the war on Gaza, diplomatic sources said, as Israel continues to pound the enclave.
Trump announced the proposal on Monday at the White House alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who voiced his support for the plan but faces opposition from far-right ministers in his government.
Several countries have since backed the initiative, including Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Egypt, as well as the Palestinian Authority. Foreign ministers from Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey and Qatar also welcomed the proposal, but stressed that rebuilding Gaza and halting Israel's illegal annexation of the occupied West Bank should be central to any agreement.
In Gaza, the plan has been met with scepticism. Although civilians have been exhausted by almost two years of war and are desperate for any sign of relief, many are worried about the long-term consequences of the truce offer, which strongly reflects Israel's position.
A Hamas negotiator told Al Jazeera that "the published sections are closer to the Israel perspective", while Palestinian Islamic Jihad's leader warned it was "a recipe to blow up the region".
Ismail al-Thawbata, head of Gaza's government media office, wrote on X that the plan was not "a truly objective and fair solution". He accused Trump of seeking to "legitimise the Israeli occupation" and strip Palestinians of their national, political and human rights and instead called for an end to the war, the entry of emergency aid, and the right of self-determination.
"Any proposals that ignore these rights and treat Gaza as a demilitarised security entity under international administration are categorically rejected in the collective national Palestinian conscience," he said.
Reports in Arabic media also highlighted concerns that the plan had contained no clear timeline for Israeli withdrawal, raising fears it could be indefinitely delayed or cancelled.
Netanyahu secures changes to deal
Netanyahu has in recent days secured significant changes to the draft in talks with Washington, according to Israeli media.
One clause initially stated that "Israeli forces will withdraw to the battle lines as of when the [US special envoy Steve] Witkoff proposal was presented to prepare for hostage release".
The updated version instead reads that troops will withdraw to an "agreed-upon line". A map presented by Netanyahu shows soldiers remaining in control of more than a third of Gaza.
Another passage originally said the army would "progressively hand over the Gaza territory that it occupies", while the new wording said the army would "withdraw based on standards, milestones, and timeframes linked to demilitarisation that will be agreed upon between the [Israeli forces], ISF, the guarantors, and the US".
Terms on disarmament and demilitarisation have also been further tightened.
The plan has divided opinion in Israel, with families of captives and opposition lawmakers largely welcoming it, while far-right ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir condemned Netanyahu for apologising to Doha over a recent strike.
A member of Ben-Gvir’s party called Trump’s plan a "total failure", while Smotrich indicated he might be open to the deal.
Meanwhile, the humanitarian toll in Gaza continues to climb. Another child died of malnutrition on Tuesday, bringing the number of famine-related deaths to more than 400 since October 2023.
The Israeli army said 11 soldiers were wounded in Gaza City on Monday when five Hamas fighters infiltrated a military position, detonating two improvised explosive devices near a tank and opening fire at close range.
Israel's war on Gaza has killed over 66,000 Palestinians and has been determined to be a genocide by the leading rights group Amnesty International.