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Hamas seeks amendments to Gaza ceasefire proposal, US envoy says ‘unacceptable’
US envoy Steve Witkoff said the 60-day ceasefire deal would help free half the living hostages in Gaza and urged Hamas to accept the proposal.
Hamas is seeking amendments in the latest US ceasefire proposal for Gaza, a senior official told AP on Saturday. Reacting to the militant group's move, US envoy Steve Witkoff said the Hamas response is “totally unacceptable.”
Speaking on the condition of anonymity, a Hamas official told AP that the amendments are focused on “the U.S. guarantees, the timing of hostage release, the delivery of aid and the withdrawal of Israeli forces.”
Meanwhile, a separate statement from Hamas said that the proposal focused on a permanent ceasefire, the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and an ensured flow of aid. It also said that 10 living hostages and the bodies of 18 others would be released in exchange for a pre-decided number of Palestinian prisoners.
Witkoff took to social media to describe a 60-day ceasefire deal that would help free half the living hostages in Gaza and urged Hamas to accept the proposal as the basis of talks that could begin next week. A US proposal for a temporary ceasefire has been accepted by Israeli officials, and US President Donald Trump said that negotiations were nearing a deal.
Bassem Naim, a top official of Hamas, has accused Israel of disagreeing with agreed-upon provisions and alleged a “complete bias toward the other side."
Hunger, desperation rises in Gaza
Amid Israel's monthlong blockade of the territory, hunger among Palestinians in Gaza is increasing. The famished residents of the territory have looted 77 food trucks in desperation. The WFP said the aid, which had mostly flour, was taken before the trucks could reach their destination. A witness from the city of Khan Younis told the AP that the U.N. convoy was stopped at a makeshift roadblock and offloaded by desperate civilians.
Due to the nearly three-month-long blockade on Gaza, the population is now on the brink of famine. While Israel allowed some aid to enter in recent days, aid organisations said that it is not enough.
Attacks hamper UN aid distribution
An internal document shared with aid groups and seen by AP talked about four security incidents of facilities being looted in three days at the end of May. The U.N. says, it hasn’t been able to get enough aid to the people because of the fighting.
(With AP Inputs)
