President Trump’s Final Offer: Ceasefire or “Complete Obliteration”

Ongoing indirect negotiations between Hamas and Israel are continuing today in Cairo. President Donald Trump expects the first phase of his 21-step proposed plan to end the war in Gaza to go into effect in a few days. He also promised on Truth Social “MASSIVE BLOODSHED” and (in a text message to CNN’s Jake Tapper) “Complete Obliteration” if Hamas doesn’t abide by the terms of the peace agreement.

The first step of the plan is for Hamas to release all the remaining Israeli hostages and begin the ceasefire. The technical details of implementing this first phase are being hashed out today, and Hamas claims to be committed to reaching an agreement.

Trump is certainly not backing down in his efforts to secure an end to the war. It’s now or never, and if Hamas can’t agree to a deal, then the Trump Administration will give Israel the green light to do what’s necessary “to finish the job.”

Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo weighed in on the possible ceasefire negotiation:

Call me a skeptic when it comes to Hamas wanting to end the war. It seems unlikely to me. They could end the war very easily; just hand the hostages over, and this thing ends in 20 minutes. And they’ve shown no evidence now for . . . two years. And so maybe they’ve had a change of heart, given all the progress Israel’s made and American support for that. But I think the devil will prove to be in the details. Perhaps there has been enough pressure that will convince them to allow these hostages to come home – both those who are alive and the remains of those who are now deceased. . . .

I think the Israelis would be happy to withdraw to a certain line. That would provide for their security adequately and would ultimately lead to a resolution where there might be some form of governance inside of Gaza that would deliver better outcomes for the Gazan people. This would be a fantastic outcome. I pray that it’s so. I think when it comes to Hamas, I will not believe that they’re prepared to release those hostages until we get to see them in the embrace of their loved ones.

Honestly, I’m also skeptical about believing that Hamas will comply. The media is giving Hamas too much credit right now, celebrating how committed Hamas is to a peace deal.

How many times have we heard that Hamas has agreed to end the war? And usually, such a declaration is Hamas’ way of putting pressure on Israel to make them look like the aggressor. However, I hope this time the hostages are finally freed and Hamas will pursue peace.

Also, ACLJ Senior Counsel CeCe Heil joined the broadcast to discuss a new ACLJ religious liberty case involving an unconstitutional “pay to pray” scheme. School officials in a Minnesota school district have violated the First Amendment rights of our client, Emma, a 9th-grade student, by charging her Christian Bible study club rental fees for the use of school facilities – while freely granting that access to secular student groups such as the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, and 4-H.

The ACLJ is defending Emma's constitutional rights. We sent a demand letter to the school district requiring officials to immediately stop their unlawful discrimination.

The Constitution is on our side. Congress passed the Equal Access Act specifically to stop this type of religious discrimination in public schools.

The Supreme Court confirmed its constitutionality in Westside Board of Education v. Mergens, a case argued by ACLJ Chief Counsel Jay Sekulow, holding that schools cannot exclude or burden religious clubs simply because of their faith-based message. Further, the Supreme Court in Tinker v. Des Moines made clear that students do not “shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate.” That includes religious speech.

Emma’s club must be treated the same as other student groups and allowed to use school facilities without unconstitutional fees or restrictions. If the district refuses, the ACLJ is prepared to go to court. We will not allow unconstitutional hostility toward religion in our schools to stand.

Cases like Emma's are vital because we must prevent legal precedent from being set that would further violate religious liberty rights nationwide. We will keep you updated on our case to defend Emma.

Today’s Sekulow broadcast included a full analysis of President Trump’s warning to Hamas if it doesn’t agree to end the war.

Watch the full broadcast below: