The Islamic Resistance Movement “Hamas” announced on Saturday that it has submitted its response to US envoy Steve Witkoff’s latest proposal to mediators, “following a round of national consultations and out of a sense of responsibility towards our people and their suffering.”
It added, “The response aims to achieve a permanent ceasefire, a comprehensive withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, and a guarantee on the uninterrupted flow of aid to our people in the Strip.”
Hamas said in a statement, “Under this agreement, ten prisoners held by the resistance will be released, in addition to the handover of eighteen bodies, in exchange for an agreed upon number of Palestinian prisoners.”
The official Israeli Broadcasting Authority quoted an unnamed senior Israeli source as saying that Tel Aviv had received the US proposal on Wednesday evening.
It said the proposal included the release of ten living Israeli prisoners, along with the handover of the bodies of ten others, in two batches, in exchange for a temporary 60-day ceasefire.
Hamas had previously said that it had received the new Witkoff proposal from the mediators and was studying it responsibly, “in a way that serves the interests of our people and achieves a permanent ceasefire.”
The Israeli website Walla quoted another senior Israeli official as saying that the new proposal is more favorable to Israel than previous proposals and does not include clear US guarantees for a permanent ceasefire.
The website added that the new proposal lacks firm US guarantees for a lasting ceasefire once negotiations extend beyond the initial 60-day period.
Hamas said it had reached an agreement on a general framework with Witkoff that would achieve a permanent ceasefire and a complete Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.
Hamas added that the agreement includes the flow of aid and the establishment of a professional committee to manage the affairs of the Gaza Strip immediately after the announcement of the agreement.
