Hamas letter to Trump reportedly seeks 60-day ceasefire for hostage release

Hamas has drafted a letter to President Donald Trump asking him to guarantee a 60-day ceasefire in exchange for the release of half of the hostages held in Gaza, according to FOX News.

A senior Trump administration official and another source directly involved in negotiations confirmed the letter, which Trump is expected to receive later this week, FOX reported. 

The news comes shortly after the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia recognized Palestine as a state on Sept. 21. Leaders of the three nations framed the move as an effort to revive a two-state solution and bring peace to the ongoing violence. 

"We recognized the state of Israel more than 75 years ago as a homeland for the Jewish people," British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in a video message posted on X. "Today we join over 150 countries who recognize a Palestinian state also. A pledge to the Palestinian and Israeli people that there can be a better future."

He said the move was not a reward for Hamas, adding that the “brutal terror organization” will have “no future, no role in government, no role in security,” in a Palestinian state.

In an X post, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said his country seeks a "peaceful future for both the State of Palestine and the State of Israel."

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong issued a joint statement, calling their decision part of a “co-ordinated international effort to build new momentum for a two-state solution” tied to a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages, FOX News reported.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu swiftly rejected the nations’ announcements in a video message in Hebrew shared on X. 

“A Palestinian state will not be established west of the Jordan River,” he said, according to a translation by FOX.

Israel has intensified its military campaign in Gaza after launching a ground offensive on Sept. 16. Pope Leo XIV — who has consistently called for a ceasefire in the region — reiterated his appeal during his Sept. 21 Angelus address and praised Catholic associations working with those suffering in Gaza, CatholicVote reported.

“Dear friends, I appreciate your initiative and many others throughout the Church that express closeness to our brothers and sisters who are suffering in that tormented land,” he said. “Together with you and with the Pastors of the Churches in the Holy Land, I repeat: there is no future based on violence, forced exile, or revenge. The people need peace; those who truly love them work for peace.”