Gaza/Jerusalem – Hamas has presented a response to a US-backed ceasefire proposal, indicating it is prepared to release 10 living Israeli hostages and 18 bodies in exchange for an unspecified number of Palestinian prisoners. However, the militant group has requested amendments to the plan and reiterated its core demands for a permanent truce and a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. These key demands are not currently included in the proposed deal.
The response from Hamas was neither an explicit rejection nor a clear acceptance of the US terms, which Washington states Israel has already accepted.
US President Donald Trump’s special envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, confirmed receipt of Hamas’s response. In a statement, Witkoff deemed the response “totally unacceptable” and stated it “only takes us backward.” He urged Hamas to accept the existing framework as a basis for immediate proximity talks to finalise a 60-day ceasefire deal.
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a statement asserting: “While Israel has agreed to the updated Witkoff outline for the release of our hostages, Hamas continues to adhere to its refusal.”
Hamas, designated a terror group by the US, UK, and EU, stressed its insistence on a “permanent ceasefire” and the “complete withdrawal” of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip. The group also demanded a sustained flow of humanitarian aid for Palestinians in the besieged enclave. It confirmed it would release 10 living hostages and the bodies of 18 dead hostages in exchange for an “agreed upon number” of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli custody.
Analysts suggest Hamas is in its most complex position since the conflict began. Under immense pressure from Gaza’s population facing dire conditions and from international mediators, the movement appears reluctant to accept a proposal reportedly less generous than previous offers it has rejected. Previously, senior Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya had stated the group would not agree to partial deals that fail to secure a complete and permanent end to the war.
However, Hamas also appears unable to reject the latest US offer outright, reportedly aware that Israel is preparing to escalate its ground offensive in Gaza, which Hamas lacks the military capacity to prevent or significantly resist. This predicament has led Hamas to respond not with a direct answer, but with what amounts to a counterproposal.
While the full details of the US plan have not been made public, key points reportedly include:
- A 60-day pause in fighting.
- The release of 28 Israeli hostages (alive and dead) in the first week, and 30 more upon a permanent ceasefire.
- The release of 1,236 Palestinian prisoners and the remains of 180 dead Palestinians.
- The delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza via the UN and other agencies.
The White House reportedly ensured Israel’s approval of the terms before presenting them to Hamas, making it unlikely that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu would be willing to negotiate the changes Hamas seeks. Netanyahu is under domestic pressure to secure the return of hostages and has expressed willingness to accept a temporary ceasefire to achieve this. However, the Israeli government has consistently maintained its right to resume hostilities, a stance that clashes with Hamas’s core demand for guarantees of a permanent end to the war.
Defence Minister Israel Katz reiterated Israel’s position this week, stating: “The Hamas murderers will now be forced to choose: accept the terms of the ‘Witkoff Deal’ for the release of the hostages – or be annihilated.”
Responding to Witkoff’s latest comments, Hamas official Basem Naim told the BBC that the group had previously reached an agreement with the envoy on a proposal “which he deemed acceptable for negotiation,” but claimed that the Israeli response “disagreed with all the provisions we had agreed upon.” Naim accused this approach of violating the “integrity and fairness of mediation” and constituting “complete bias.”
Earlier on Saturday, the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry reported that 60 people were killed and another 284 injured in Israeli strikes over the past 24 hours. These figures do not include casualties from hospitals in the North Gaza Strip Governorate due to access difficulties.
Israel launched its military campaign in Gaza in response to Hamas’s cross-border attack on October 7, 2023, which resulted in the deaths of approximately 1,200 people and the taking of 251 hostages. The Hamas-run health ministry reports that at least 54,381 people have been killed in Gaza since then, including 4,117 since Israel resumed its offensive on March 18.
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