Steve Witkoff, a special sent from the Middle East, said Hamas’s response to the proposal of ceasefire in Gaza is “totally unacceptable.”
In an X post, he wrote that the return of the Palestinian group “only takes us back”.
“Hamas must accept the proposal we present as the basis for negotiations, which we can start immediately next week,” continued Witkoff.
Earlier, a Palestinian group authority told Reuters agency that the answer was “positive” but sought to add some amendments to the text.
“This answer aims to reach a permanent ceasefire, a complete withdrawal of the Gaza Strip and ensure the flow of humanitarian aid to our people in the track,” Hamas said in a statement.
Details of the ceasefire proposal
The proposal, supported by the US and approved by Israel, seen by CNN On Friday, in exchange for 125 Palestinian prisoners who comply with perpetual penalties and 1,111 residents of Gaza detained since the beginning of the war.
Negotiations for a permanent ceasefire would start immediately on the first day of the 60-day truce, according to the proposal.
The terms of the agreement would also allow humanitarian aid to enter Gaza “immediately” and be distributed “through the agreed channels”, including the United Nations and the Red Crescent, according to the proposal.
But the draft of the agreement contained no intrinsic guarantee of a permanent end to war, a fundamental demand from Hamas, nor guarantees that the ceasefire would be extended as long as negotiations continued.
Instead, the plan states that US President Donald Trump, that good faith negotiations continue until a final agreement is reached. “
Initially, Hamas signaled a reluctance to accept the terms of the agreement. Bassem Naim, a member of Hamas’s political office, said on Facebook on Thursday (29) that the agreement “did not meet any of the demands of our people,” but that the discussions were in progress, yet.
A CNN He found that Israel accepted the new ceasefire proposal with Hamas, presented by the American envoy Steve Witkoff.
