Time was running out in Gaza – then Hamas said they wanted peace. On Friday, afternoon, Hamas published a statement saying it wanted to end the war and will release the hostages. How serious the group is about ending the war is an open question.

After Hamas made its statement, President Trump called on Israel to “stop the bombing of Gaza, so that we can get the Hostages out safely and quickly.” Trump also said that the statement showed Hamas is “ready for a lasting PEACE.”

Later in the weekend, Trump posted “I appreciate that Israel has temporarily stopped the bombing in order to give the Hostage release and Peace Deal a chance to be completed. Hamas must move quickly, or else all bets will be off.”

Skepticism

Senator Linsdey Graham, a fervent supporter of Israel and friend of Donald Trump, has expressed skepticism. Taking to X, the Senator thought the proposal was, “A classic ‘Yes, but.’ No disarmament, keeping Gaza under Palestinian control, and tying hostage release to negotiations, along with other problems.”

Steve Bucci, a former Pentagon official, expressed skepticism Hamas was a good faith negotiating partner. “I think this was the right thing to do, but I don’t think Hamas is going to  buy it,” Bucci told Drew Mariani.

Prospects for Peace

On Sunday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio joined Meet the Press to discuss the prospect of peace. Rubio told Kristen Welker that Hamas has agreed to releasing the hostages, and they would like to see the release “as soon as possible.”

The President sent Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jarad Kushner to Egypt to help with negotiations. Trump said over the weekend that the negotiations were going “very well.”

While the immediate success for the Trump administration looks promising, the long-term peace solution is much more challenging, Rubio said. The administration is working to create a “Palestinian technocratic leadership that’s not Hamas, [and] that’s not terrorists.”

Despite the challenge, Rubio said he has hope that the conflict can come to an end. For the first time, Rubio said, there is a broad coalition of countries including Qatar, Indonesia, UAE, Saudia Arabia, and the Europe “lined up behind a plan and putting a tremendous amount of pressure to make it happen.”

Even the Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV weighed in the peace plan, saying it has “very interesting elements” and expressing hope that “Hamas accepts within the established timeline.”