GAZA (Palestine Foundation Information Center) The Hamas Movement announced on Thursday that its leadership has received a new proposal from mediators, put forward by US envoy Steve Witkoff, aimed at ending the Israeli genocidal war on Gaza.
“The Movement is responsibly studying the proposal in a way that serves the interests of our people, provides relief, and achieves a permanent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip,” the Movement said in its statement.
Earlier on Wednesday, Hamas had stated it was awaiting a final response to the general framework it had agreed upon with Witkoff concerning a ceasefire in Gaza. Meanwhile, Israeli media reported that Israel had rejected the proposal that Hamas had approved.
In the statement, Hamas said the agreement with Witkoff includes the release of 10 Israeli captives and dead bodies of other captives in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
Hamas emphasized that it is making significant efforts “to stop the brutal war on Gaza,” the latest of which was reaching an agreement with Witkoff on a general framework that includes a permanent ceasefire, full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, an influx of humanitarian aid, and the formation of a professional committee to manage Gaza’s civil affairs upon announcement of the agreement.
Israeli Channel 13 cited a source saying the proposal approved by Hamas was unacceptable, and quoted other officials as saying there is no new American proposal for a prisoner swap. They suggested Hamas may be referring to an initiative by Palestinian-American businessman Bashara Bahbah.
For his part, Witkoff stated: “We are about to send a new terms paper to reach an agreement on Gaza, and we hope it will be delivered later today,” confirming that the U.S. administration is “pursuing a long-term resolution to the conflict in the Middle East.”
Sources revealed on Tuesday that Hamas had reached an agreement with Witkoff in Doha for a permanent ceasefire, though Israel’s position on the deal remains unclear.
According to those sources, the proposed agreement includes a 60-day ceasefire, the release of 10 Israeli captives in two phases in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
Five Israeli captives would be released on day one of the agreement, and the remaining five on day 60.
