Gaza City, Palestinian Territories—A Hamas official said Thursday that a new Israeli-approved US plan for a Gaza truce fell short of its demands, but the Palestinian militant group was still reviewing it.
Bassem Naim of Hamas’s political bureau said Israel’s response meant “the continuation of killing and famine.”
He added it “does not meet any of our people’s demands, foremost among them halting the war and famine.”
“Nonetheless,” he said, “the movement’s leadership is studying the response to the proposal with full national responsibility.”
The White House said Thursday that Israel had accepted US President Donald Trump’s proposal for a Gaza ceasefire submitted by Trump and US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff.
“I can confirm that special envoy Witkoff and the president submitted a ceasefire proposal to Hamas, that Israel backed and supported. Israel signed off on this proposal before it was sent to Hamas,” Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said.
“I can also confirm that those discussions are continuing, and we hope that a ceasefire in Gaza will take place so we can return all of the hostages home.”
But a source close to Hamas told Agence France Presse (AFP) that “the new proposal presented by US envoy Steve Witkoff and received by Hamas, through intermediaries, is considered a retreat from Witkoff’s proposal… that was presented to Hamas a few days ago and accepted by it.”
The source added that the previous proposal “included an American commitment regarding permanent ceasefire negotiations.”
“It is difficult for Hamas to accept the proposal as long as it does not include American guarantees for negotiations on a permanent ceasefire during the temporary truce period,” the source said.
According to two sources close to the negotiations, the new US proposal involves a 60-day truce, potentially extendable to 70 days, and the release of 10 living hostages and nine bodies in exchange for Palestinian prisoners during the first week.
It also involves a second exchange of the same number of living and dead hostages during the second week, according to the sources.
The same sources said Hamas had agreed last week to two exchanges on the same terms, but one during the first week of the truce and the other during the final week.
