Hamas official says it will reject new US Gaza ceasefire plan backed by Israel.
Israel resumed its military offensive against Hamas in Gaza on 18 March, following the collapse of a two-month ceasefire brokered by the US, Qatar, and Egypt. The Israeli government said the renewed assault aimed to pressure Hamas into releasing the 58 remaining hostages, at least 20 of whom are believed to be alive.
On 19 May, Israel expanded its offensive, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announcing plans to "take control of all areas" of Gaza. A day later, he stated that Israel would ease its blockade slightly to allow a "basic" amount of food into Gaza to avert famine.
Since the resumption of hostilities, nearly 4,000 people have been killed in Gaza over the past 10 weeks, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. The UN reports that 600,000 more people have been displaced by Israeli ground operations and evacuation orders, while the UN-backed IPC warns that approximately 500,000 people face catastrophic hunger in the coming months.
Amid these developments, a senior Hamas official told the BBC that the group would reject the latest US proposal for a new ceasefire and hostage release deal, stating that it failed to meet key demands, including a permanent end to the war.
The White House said Thursday that Israel had "signed off" on the plan submitted by US envoy Steve Witkoff and was now awaiting Hamas’s formal response. Israeli media reported that the proposal included the release of 10 living hostages and the return of the bodies of 18 more, in two phases, in exchange for a 60-day ceasefire and the release of Palestinian prisoners.
The Hamas official criticized the proposal, saying it lacked guarantees of a permanent ceasefire or a return to humanitarian aid levels seen during the previous truce. However, he noted that Hamas remained in contact with mediators and would submit a written response in due course.
At a press briefing in Washington DC, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that Israel had approved the proposal before it was sent to Hamas. “We hope that a ceasefire in Gaza will take place so we can return all of the hostages home,” she added.
Later, however, the senior Hamas official said the new offer contradicted previous negotiations with Witkoff.
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu reportedly told hostages' families on Thursday that he accepted the latest Witkoff proposal, saying: "We agree to accept the latest Witkoff plan that was conveyed to us tonight. Hamas has not yet responded. We do not believe Hamas will release the last hostage, and we will not leave the Strip until all the hostages are in our hands." His office later accused a Channel 12 reporter of trying to smuggle a recording device into the meeting but did not deny the prime minister had agreed to the proposal.
Netanyahu has repeatedly stated that Israel’s war goals include the complete release of all hostages, the destruction or disarmament of Hamas, and the exile of its leadership. In contrast, Hamas has insisted it is willing to return all hostages in exchange for a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and an end to hostilities.
The war began after Hamas launched a cross-border attack on 7 October 2023, killing approximately 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. An additional four people, two of them dead, were already held captive in Gaza before the conflict. Since then, Israel has secured the return of 197 hostages—148 alive—primarily through two temporary ceasefire agreements.
As of now, the Hamas-run health ministry reports at least 54,249 people have been killed in Gaza since the war began, including 3,986 since Israel resumed its offensive. On Thursday alone, at least 54 people were reported killed in Israeli strikes across Gaza, including 23 who died when a house in the Bureij area was hit. The Israeli military stated it had targeted “dozens of terror sites” in the past 24 hours.
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