Reactions in Gaza to the peace plan presented by U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were mixed. While some expressed cautious hope, many others responded with indifference, or didn’t watch at all. “There’s shooting and bombings all day,” one resident said. “We’re waiting for good news."
Against the backdrop of harsh criticism from Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, many Gazans voiced frustration and despair, warning that ordinary people, not leaders, would bear the consequences. “If Hamas rejects the deal, we’re the ones who’ll pay the price,” said one resident.
Following the joint statement by U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu outlining a proposal to end the war in Gaza, many locals met the announcement with skepticism and disappointment.
Suleiman, a resident of the Gazan city Deir al-Balah, told Ynet that during Trump and Netanyahu’s speech, there was a big Egyptian soccer match. Anyone with a TV chose to watch that instead of listening to yet another deal and getting disappointed. He said many Gazans preferred escapism to what they saw as another empty political gesture.
Before the joint announcement, Gaza-based influencer Maher Habboush addressed his followers with a mix of exhaustion and hope. “All day there’s been shooting and bombings in Gaza City,” he said. “We’re waiting for good news. May God be with us, inshallah.”
His words echoed the faint optimism still held by many in the war-weary residents of the Gaza Strip.
A local source in Gaza told Ynet that even if Hamas and Israel were to accept the American proposal tomorrow, fighting would not stop immediately. “The war won’t end until Arab or international forces are ready, which might take, as people suggest, about one to three months.”
While Hamas leadership has yet to release an official response, public sentiment in Gaza is largely pessimistic.
Gazan displaced people evacuate from Gaza City
(Video: Reuters)
Senior Hamas official Mahmoud Mardawi said in an interview with Qatari television channel Al Jazeera, "We will not accept any proposal that does not include determining the fate of the Palestinian people and protecting them from massacre,” he said, signaling principled opposition to any deal falling short of Palestinian self-determination.
Ziyad al-Nakhalah, secretary-general of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, also condemned the proposal, dismissing it as an “American-Israeli agreement” that reflected only Israel’s perspective.
He warned that the plan could become “a recipe for continued attacks on the Palestinian people” and would further destabilize the region. His comments only deepened doubts among Gazans about the likelihood of a swift ceasefire.
In the meantime, many Gazans voiced a mixture of apathy, despair and cautious hope. Some chose to escape the harsh reality, while others expressed deep fatigue and anger at decisions made without any meaningful representation of their needs.
“Either Hamas agrees, or we all die,” said Amer, a resident of Gaza. “It’s ordinary people who pay the price."