US envoy Steve Witkoff says Hamas ceasefire response 'only takes us backward,' pushes 60 day truce as path to negotiations with Israel
US envoy Steve Witkoff (Image credits: ANI)
US special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, dismissed Hamas' response to a proposed ceasefire deal with Israel, calling it "totally unacceptable" and saying it "only takes us backward.
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In a post on X, Witkoff said,"I received the Hamas response to the United States' proposal. It is totally unacceptable and only takes us backward. Hamas should accept the framework proposal we put forward as the basis for proximity talks, which we can begin immediately this coming week."
The US proposal includes a 60-day ceasefire during which Hamas would release 10 living Israeli hostages and return the bodies of 18 others, reported CNN.
In exchange, Israel would release 125 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences and 1,111 other detainees from Gaza.
Hamas, in its response shared with mediators Qatar and Egypt, said it wants a permanent ceasefire, a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, and increased aid to people in the territory. The group confirmed it would release the hostages as part of the deal.
Witkoff said that the only path forward was for Hamas to accept the current proposal, backed by the US and approved by Israel so that negotiations could begin.
"That is the only way we can close a 60-day ceasefire deal in the coming days in which half of the living hostages and half of those who are deceased will come home to their families and in which we can have at the proximity talks substantive negotiations in good-faith to try to reach a permanent ceasefire," he added in his post.
The US proposal calls for negotiations about a permanent ceasefire to begin immediately on the first day of the 60-day truce. However, it does not promise a permanent end to the war or an extension of the ceasefire beyond the 60 days.
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