The ceasefire proposal with Israel that the administration of the United States (U.S.) President Donald Trump submitted to the Palestinian group Hamas is still “under consideration,” but in its current form, according to Hamas, it would only result in the “continuation of killing and starvation” in the Gaza Strip.
White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt stated that Israel has “accepted” the ceasefire proposal, which the special envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, delivered to Hamas for consideration.
Basem Naim, a member of Hamas’s political bureau, said that the proposal “does not meet any of the demands of our people, primarily stopping the war.”
“Nevertheless, the leadership of the movement is considering the response with full national responsibility,” added Naim, stating that Hamas will give an official response on Friday or Saturday.
Although the details of the proposal have not been published, some media reports claimed it envisions an initial 60-day ceasefire with the release of 28 Israeli hostages (alive and dead) in exchange for the release of 1.236 Palestinian prisoners and the remains of 180 Palestinians. The plan also includes the immediate delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza once Hamas signs the agreement.
However, senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri said the proposal does not contain key items such as a halt to Israeli military operations or the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, nor does it ensure the free entry of aid.
Israel has not officially confirmed that it accepted the proposal, but Israeli media reports that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the families of the hostages that he is ready to proceed with Witkoff’s initiative.
Israeli analyst Akiva Eldar said that it is “unusual” for Israel to be the first to accept a proposal and suggested that Netanyahu may want Hamas to reject the plan in order to accuse them of continuing the war.
Earlier reports claimed that Hamas had reached a “general framework agreement” with Witkoff, which includes a permanent ceasefire, full withdrawal of Israeli forces, and unimpeded entry of aid. However, Witkoff later denied these claims, calling them “completely unacceptable,” and U.S. and Israeli officials labeled them as “propaganda” and “psychological warfare.”
After ending a six-week ceasefire in March, Israel resumed its offensive “with full force,” and the death toll in Gaza since then has surpassed 54.000, according to health authorities in Gaza.
The Israeli blockade of aid has further worsened the humanitarian catastrophe, and although it partially eased on May 19th, the United Nations (UN) says that the amount of aid still does not meet even basic needs.
