Latest news with #PalestinianPrisoners
Yahoo
18 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Israel hostage deal in doubt as Hamas adds demands, US envoy calls terms ‘unacceptable'
Hamas has agreed to release 10 living hostages and return the bodies of 18 more, but the terms of the proposed deal have been deemed unacceptable by the U.S. and Israel. The group, which has been on the State Department's list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations since 1997, made the announcement in a statement Saturday and said it was being done on the condition that a number of Palestinian prisoners be returned in exchange as part of a means to achieve a permanent ceasefire. Israeli media reported that Hamas added new demands to the proposal from U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, including a permanent ceasefire, complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and unrestricted humanitarian aid flow into the strip. Witkoff's proposal did not include a full withdrawal or a ceasefire, the Jerusalem Post reported, and that Hamas added terms of its own. In a statement posted to X on Saturday, Witkoff called Hamas' response to the American proposal "totally unacceptable" and warned it "only takes us backward." He urged the group to accept the original framework in order to begin proximity talks as early as next week, which could pave the way for a 60-day ceasefire and the return of both living and deceased hostages. Freed Israeli Hostage Says Hamas Captors 'Wanted Kamala To Be Elected,' Were 'Very Scared' Of Trump's Return Read On The Fox News App In a statement before Witkoff's response, Hamas wrote: "After conducting a round of national consultations, and based on our immense sense of responsibility towards our people and their suffering, the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) today submitted its response to US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff's latest proposal to the mediating parties. "This proposal aims to achieve a permanent ceasefire, a comprehensive withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, and ensure the flow of aid to our people and our families in the Gaza Strip." Reacting to the announcement, the Israeli Prime Minister's Office said in a statement that while Israel had agreed to the updated Witkoff framework, "Hamas continues to cling to its refusal." The office emphasized that Israel remains committed to bringing its hostages home and defeating Hamas, citing Witkoff's remarks as confirmation that Hamas' latest stance undermines is holding 58 hostages in Gaza. Of these, Israeli intelligence assesses that at least 34 are deceased, leaving approximately 24 believed to be alive. More than 250 people were captured during the Hamas terror attacks on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Return Of Trump Gives Families Of Gaza Hostages New Hope The latest proposal being negotiated involves the release of 10 living hostages and a number of bodies during a 60-day pause in exchange for more than 1,100 Palestinians imprisoned by Israel, including 100 serving long sentences after being convicted of deadly attacks, The Associated Press reported Friday, citing a Hamas official and an Egyptian official speaking on condition of anonymity. U.S. negotiators had not publicized the terms of the proposal. Witkoff's office reiterated on social media that the proposed deal could allow "half of the living hostages and half of those who are deceased" to return to their families if Hamas agrees to enter talks under the current terms. The statement stressed that the window to finalize the deal is narrowing, and that major negotiations could begin "in good faith" within days if Hamas accepts. "As stated by the U.S. President's special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff: Hamas' response is unacceptable and sets the situation back," the Prime Minister's Office said. President Donald Trump said Friday that negotiators were nearing a deal. "They're very close to an agreement on Gaza, and we'll let you know about it during the day or maybe tomorrow," Trump told reporters in Washington. Late in the evening, asked if he was confident Hamas would approve the deal, he told reporters: "They're in a big mess. I think they want to get out of it." Deep differences between Hamas and Israel have stymied previous attempts to restore a ceasefire that broke down in March. Israel has insisted that Hamas disarm completely, be dismantled as a military and governing force and return all hostages still held in Gaza before it agrees to end the war. Hamas has rejected the demand to give up its weapons and says Israel must pull its troops out of Gaza and commit to ending the war. The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this article source: Israel hostage deal in doubt as Hamas adds demands, US envoy calls terms 'unacceptable'
Yahoo
a day ago
- General
- Yahoo
Hamas to release 10 alive hostages in response to U.S. cease-fire plan
May 31 (UPI) -- Militant Hamas said Saturday it would release 10 living hostages and 18 bodies in return for Israel's release of Palestinian prisoners and ending the war that began in October 2023. Steve Witkoff, who is President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy, on Thursday submitted his proposal to mediators from Qatar and Egypt. "As part of this agreement, 10 living Israeli prisoners held by the resistance will be released, in addition to the return of eighteen bodies, in exchange for an agreed-upon number of Palestinian prisoners," Hamas said in a statement obtained by CNN. The group said it came to the decision "after conducting a round of national consultations." "This proposal aims to achieve a permanent cease-fire, a comprehensive withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, and ensure the flow of aid to our people and our families in the Gaza Strip," Hamas said in a statement also obtained by The Guardian. The Hamas response is similar to an earlier proposal to release 10 hostages, as well as a number of hostages' remains during the cease-fire in exchange for 1,100 Palestinian prisoners. An unidentified Israeli official told Israeli reporters in Saturday that they are treating Hamas' response as an "effective rejection." Fifty-eight hostages are believed to still be alive. A total of 146 Israeli hostages have been freed or rescued from Gaza, including 25 during the truce. The U.S. proposal called for a 60-day pause in fighting and renewed efforts toward long-term peace, as well as guarantees from Israel that it will not resume its offensive after Hamas releases hostages. Negotiations toward a permanent ceasefire would begin immediately on the first day of the 60-day truce, according to the proposal. Israeli negotiators accepted the deal, but Hamas has not backed it. On Thursday, Hamas official Basem Naim said the U.S. proposal "does not respond to any of our people's demands," including lifting the humanitarian blockade on the Gaza Strip that has led to famine-like conditions among 2 million. Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz on Friday threatened Hamas if it did not accept. "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," Katz said. A cease-fire lasted from Jan. 19 to March 1. Israel refused to move to a planned second phase that could have led to a permanent end to the war. Israel began fighting, including airstrikes. In a ramped-up offensive, at least 60 people have been killed by Israeli strikes in Gaza over the last 24 hours, Hamas-run health officials said. And 72 were killed on Thursday. Negotiators have made little progress. "Negotiations are ongoing on the current proposal," Qatar's ambassador to the United Nations, Ayla Ahmed Saif al-Thani said Friday. He noted the mediators from Qatar are "very determined to find an ending to the horrific situation in Gaza." For three months, Israel's blockade has stopped virtually all humanitarian aid into Gaza. "After nearly 80 days of a total blockade, communities are starving - and they are no longer willing to watch food pass them by," the World Food Program said on Saturday. The United Nations aid agency was allowed to bring 77 trucks loaded with flour into Gaza overnight, but the trucks were stopped by crowds of hungry people. Lindsey Hutchison of Plan International said "having the military control aid and choose who they distribute it to in limited ways completely violates the way humanitarian operations are supposed to be conducted." She said the situation is not working. "We saw chaos and despair at the distribution site, which is frankly masquerading as a humanitarian aid scheme. That's not what this is," she told Al Jazeera from New York. More than 54,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the war began Oct. 7, 2023. Israel retaliated for a Hamas attack on the same da in which about 1,200 people were killed and 250 taken hostage.
Yahoo
a day ago
- General
- Yahoo
Hamas agrees to parts of US ceasefire plan for Gaza
The Palestinian Islamist Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip has agreed to a key point of US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff's ceasefire plan. As the organization announced on its Telegram channel, its response to the United States includes a commitment to the partial release of Israeli hostages in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners by Israel. The Witkoff plan provides for the handover of 10 hostages and the remains of 18 other victims of Hamas to Israel during a 60-day ceasefire. Israel believes that there are currently 20 to 23 living hostages and at least 35 bodies of abductees in the hands of Hamas. According to the Witkoff plan, the two sides are to negotiate the release of the remaining hostages in exchange for an end to the war during the 60-day ceasefire. There is no guarantee for the final cessation of hostilities, but this has so far been a central demand of Hamas. It remains unclear how Hamas has responded to this part of the plan. The Israeli government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu strictly rejects a ceasefire in which all hostages are released and the war ends. Critics accuse it of wanting to continue the war indefinitely for domestic political reasons.
Yahoo
a day ago
- General
- Yahoo
Hamas agrees to release 10 living hostages in US-proposed ceasefire
Hamas has agreed to release 10 living Israeli hostages and return the bodies of 18 others in a US-proposed ceasefire, which would also see Palestinian prisoners and detainees released. Washington has been pushing for a 60-day truce which would see the exchange of 28 of the 58 hostages still held in Gaza for more than 1,200 Palestinian prisoners and detainees, along with the entry of humanitarian aid into the enclave. Hamas said it has responded positively to a ceasefire proposal presented by Donald Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, but the Palestinian militant group has demanded an end to the war as one of its conditions - something which has been a red line for Israel. The White House said on Thursday that Israel had already agreed to the proposals. The Hamas statement added: "This proposal aims to achieve a permanent ceasefire, a comprehensive withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, and ensure the flow of aid to our people and our families in the Gaza Strip." It said its response came "after conducting a round of national consultations". Whether Hamas accepted the US terms in full isn't entirely clear, but a Palestinian official familiar with the talks told Reuters news agency that Hamas sought some amendments while its response was positive. Exactly which amendments Hamas has sought was not disclosed. The office of Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not yet responded to the news. Hamas and Israel have in recent weeks been at loggerheads during ceasefire negotiations, after resumed Israeli airstrikes in March saw a previous truce come to an end. Israel has since insisted that Hamas disarm completely, be dismantled as a military and governing force and return all 58 hostages still held in Gaza before it will agree to end the war. Hamas has rejected the demand to give up its weapons and says Israel must pull its troops out of Gaza and commit to ending the war. Negotiations come as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza reaches a critical point, according to the UN and aid agencies on the ground. With a limited number of aid trucks finally rolling into the ravaged enclave following an 11-week aid blockade, aid agencies have struggled to prevent looting. Overnight from Friday into Saturday, armed men hijacked dozens of aid trucks entering the Gaza Strip overnight and hundreds of desperate Palestinians joined in to take supplies, local aid groups said. The United Nations said on Friday that the situation in Gaza is the worst since the start of the war began 19 months ago, with the entire population facing the risk of famine despite a resumption of limited aid deliveries earlier this month. On Saturday, the Israeli military said it was continuing to hit targets in Gaza, including sniper posts and had killed what it said was the head of a Hamas weapons manufacturing site. Israeli forces have cleared large areas of the Gaza Strip, squeezing the population of more than 2 million into an ever-narrower section along the coast and around the southern city of Khan Younis.
The Independent
a day ago
- General
- The Independent
Hamas agrees to release 10 living hostages in US-proposed ceasefire
Hamas has agreed to release 10 living Israeli hostages and return the bodies of 18 others in a US-proposed ceasefire, which would also see Palestinian prisoners and detainees released. Washington has been pushing for a 60-day truce which would see the exchange of 28 of the 58 hostages still held in Gaza for more than 1,200 Palestinian prisoners and detainees, along with the entry of humanitarian aid into the enclave. Hamas said it has responded positively to a ceasefire proposal presented by Donald Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, but the Palestinian militant group has demanded an end to the war as one of its conditions - something which has been a red line for Israel. The White House said on Thursday that Israel had already agreed to the proposals. The Hamas statement added: "This proposal aims to achieve a permanent ceasefire, a comprehensive withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, and ensure the flow of aid to our people and our families in the Gaza Strip." It said its response came "after conducting a round of national consultations". Whether Hamas accepted the US terms in full isn't entirely clear, but a Palestinian official familiar with the talks told Reuters news agency that Hamas sought some amendments while its response was positive. Exactly which amendments Hamas has sought was not disclosed. The office of Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not yet responded to the news. Hamas and Israel have in recent weeks been at loggerheads during ceasefire negotiations, after resumed Israeli airstrikes in March saw a previous truce come to an end. Israel has since insisted that Hamas disarm completely, be dismantled as a military and governing force and return all 58 hostages still held in Gaza before it will agree to end the war. Hamas has rejected the demand to give up its weapons and says Israel must pull its troops out of Gaza and commit to ending the war. Negotiations come as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza reaches a critical point, according to the UN and aid agencies on the ground. With a limited number of aid trucks finally rolling into the ravaged enclave following an 11-week aid blockade, aid agencies have struggled to prevent looting. Overnight from Friday into Saturday, armed men hijacked dozens of aid trucks entering the Gaza Strip overnight and hundreds of desperate Palestinians joined in to take supplies, local aid groups said. The United Nations said on Friday that the situation in Gaza is the worst since the start of the war began 19 months ago, with the entire population facing the risk of famine despite a resumption of limited aid deliveries earlier this month. On Saturday, the Israeli military said it was continuing to hit targets in Gaza, including sniper posts and had killed what it said was the head of a Hamas weapons manufacturing site. Israeli forces have cleared large areas of the Gaza Strip, squeezing the population of more than 2 million into an ever-narrower section along the coast and around the southern city of Khan Younis.
