A senior Hamas official told the BBC that the Palestinian armed group will reject the latest US proposal for a new ceasefire in Gaza and a deal to release hostages.
The White House announced yesterday that Israel had agreed to the plan by US envoy Steve Witkoff and that an official response from Hamas was awaited.
Meanwhile, Israel is issuing new evacuation orders in Gaza amid the escalation of the conflict. Israeli occupation forces issued new evacuation orders late last night for several densely populated areas in the northern Gaza Strip, demanding that civilians leave their homes and shelters immediately.
Local reports confirmed that residents of Jabalia al-Balad, Al-Atatra and several neighborhoods in Gaza have been instructed to evacuate immediately. The forced displacement orders come as Israeli air and artillery attacks continue to ravage Gaza. At least 70 Palestinians were killed on Thursday, including women and children, and many others were wounded, WAFA reported.
-Details of proposed deal-
Israeli media quoted Israeli officials as saying that Hamas would hand over 10 live hostages and the bodies of 18 dead hostages in two stages in exchange for a 60-day ceasefire and the release of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.
A Hamas official, who was not named by the BBC, said the proposal did not meet key demands, including an end to the war, and that it would respond in due course.
Hamas is prepared to return all prisoners in exchange for a complete cessation of hostilities and a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
-Israeli position-
The Israeli government has not commented, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly told the families of the hostages on Thursday that he accepted Witkoff’s plan.
Israel imposed a full blockade of Gaza on March 18 and resumed a military offensive against Hamas after a two-month ceasefire brokered by the US, Qatar and Egypt collapsed.
They said they wanted to pressure Hamas to release the 58 hostages it still holds, at least 20 of whom are believed to be alive.
-Current situation in Gaza-
The Israeli military launched an expanded offensive on May 19 in which, according to Netanyahu, the forces would “take control of all areas” of Gaza.
Almost 4,000 people have been killed in Gaza in the past 10 weeks, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
According to the UN, an additional 600,000 people have been displaced again by Israeli ground operations and evacuation orders, and around 500,000 people face catastrophic levels of hunger in the coming months.
-Reasons for rejecting the proposal-
A senior Hamas official told the BBC that the proposed agreement contradicted previous talks between negotiators and Witkoff.
The official told the BBC that the offer did not include guarantees that the temporary ceasefire would lead to a permanent ceasefire, nor a return to the humanitarian protocol that allowed hundreds of aid trucks into Gaza daily during the last ceasefire.
However, he said Hamas remained in contact with mediators and would submit its written response in due course.
Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri, according to Reuters, said on Thursday that the terms of the proposal reflected Israel’s position and did not include commitments to end the war, withdraw Israeli troops or receive aid as Hamas had demanded.
