A senior Hamas official has said the group will reject the latest US ceasefire and hostage-release proposal, saying it fails to meet key demands, including a permanent end to the war in Gaza.

The proposal, presented by US envoy Steve Witkoff and backed by Israel, would reportedly involve Hamas releasing 10 living hostages and the bodies of 18 others in exchange for a 60-day ceasefire and the release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails. However, Hamas has raised concerns that the offer does not include guarantees for a lasting truce or the reinstatement of humanitarian access on the scale previously seen.

The White House confirmed on Thursday that Israel had accepted the plan, with President Joe Biden’s administration expressing hope that an agreement could be reached to halt hostilities and facilitate the return of remaining hostages. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said talks were ongoing, and that the United States was awaiting a formal response from Hamas.

Israeli media reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told families of hostages that Israel had agreed to the Witkoff proposal. The Israeli government has not issued a formal public statement, but Netanyahu’s office did not deny his remarks when questioned by local reporters.

The current impasse comes amid an intensifying Israeli military offensive in Gaza, launched after a temporary ceasefire collapsed in March. The offensive, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza, has claimed nearly 4,000 lives in the past ten weeks alone. Since the start of the war in October 2023, the reported death toll in Gaza has surpassed 54,000, though these figures have not been independently verified.

Israel resumed its assault on Gaza on 18 March, aiming to pressure Hamas into releasing the remaining 58 hostages believed to be held in the enclave. At least 20 of them are thought to be alive. In the past, two temporary ceasefire agreements facilitated the return of 197 hostages, 148 of whom were alive.

As part of the ongoing campaign, the Israeli military expanded operations on 19 May, with Netanyahu pledging full territorial control of Gaza. The next day, he announced limited easing of the blockade to allow essential food supplies in a bid to avert famine. A UN-backed food security assessment has warned that some 500,000 people in Gaza face catastrophic hunger levels, while over 600,000 have been newly displaced by ground operations and evacuation orders.

Despite rejecting the latest US proposal, Hamas says it remains in contact with mediators and will issue a formal response. The group has consistently stated that any hostage release must be tied to a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and a permanent ceasefire—conditions Israel has so far rejected.

The conflict began after Hamas’ deadly cross-border attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which approximately 1,200 people were killed and 251 others taken hostage. Israel has vowed to continue its campaign until all hostages are returned, Hamas is dismantled or disarmed, and its leadership is ousted from the territory.

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