Hamas pledges to free Israeli hostages in prisoner exchange as it seeks amendments to US ceasefire proposal
Hamas has said it is willing to release 10 living Israeli hostages and hand over the bodies of 18 others in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, but only if key amendments are made to a US-backed ceasefire plan that Israel has already accepted.
In a dramatic development, the terror group submitted its counterproposal to a framework drawn up by Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump 's special envoy to the Middle East.
While the response stopped short of outright rejection, it has been widely condemned as a stalling tactic amid mounting international pressure.
Witkoff slammed the Hamas reply as 'totally unacceptable', warning the group was dragging out negotiations and putting lives at risk.
'Hamas should accept the framework proposal we put forward as the basis for proximity talks, which we can begin immediately this coming week.
'That is the only way we can close a 60-day ceasefire deal in the coming days.'
Under the current US proposal, details of which remain largely confidential, the plan includes a 60-day pause in hostilities, the release of 28 Israeli hostages both living and deceased in the first week, the release of 1,236 Palestinian prisoners and 180 bodies, and a surge of humanitarian aid delivered via the UN and partner agencies.
Fifty-eight Israeli hostages remain and Israel believes 35 of them are dead.
But Hamas, which the UK, US, and EU classify as a terrorist organisation, is digging in.
It continues to demand a permanent ceasefire, a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, and guaranteed access to humanitarian aid - conditions not included in the deal currently on the table.
In a statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said Hamas was still refusing to accept the updated Witkoff outline.
'While Israel has agreed to the updated Witkoff outline for the release of our hostages, Hamas continues to adhere to its refusal,' it said.
Israeli officials maintain they are open to a temporary truce, but insist on the right to resume military operations if necessary.
Defence Minister Israel Katz delivered a blunt ultimatum: 'The Hamas murderers will now be forced to choose: accept the terms of the 'Witkoff Deal' for the release of the hostages - or be annihilated'.
Caught between unrelenting Israeli military pressure and the desperation of 2.2million civilians in Gaza, Hamas finds itself in its most difficult position since the conflict began.
The group lacks the firepower to resist a fresh ground offensive and faces growing pressure from mediators to accept a deal far less favourable than those it previously rejected.
Senior Hamas official Basem Naim accused the US of favouritism, saying Israel's input had been treated as final while Palestinian concerns were sidelined.
He told the BBC the group had last week come to an agreement with him on a proposal 'which he deemed acceptable for negotiation' - but that the Israeli response 'disagreed with all the provisions we had agreed upon'.
'Why, each time, is the Israeli response considered the only response for negotiation?' he said.
'This violates the integrity and fairness of mediation and constitutes a complete bias towards the other side.'
But the humanitarian toll continues to rise.
On Saturday, the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza said 60 people were killed and 284 wounded in Israeli airstrikes over the past 24 hours.
Independent verification remains difficult, especially in the war-ravaged north.
The current war erupted on October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched a brutal cross-border assault, killing around 1,200 Israelis and taking 251 hostages.
Israel's military response has since killed more than 54,000 Palestinians, according to Hamas-run health authorities.
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