Reuters reported on May 27 that a Palestinian official close to Hamas said the force had agreed to a proposal made by US special forces behind Steve Witkoff through intermediaries. The proposal includes Hamas releasing 10 surplus Israeli hostages in two phases, in exchange for a 70-day ceasefire and Israel withdrawing part of the Gaza Strip. Israel has also released a number of Palestinian prisoners, including hundreds of those serving long prison sentences.
However, an Israeli official immediately rejected the proposal, asserting that no responsible government could accept such an agreement. The official also denied that this was a proposal from the US side and said it was not similar to any proposal made by Mr. Witkoff.
Witkoff himself spoke up, stating that Hamas had never accepted any of his proposals and that what he knew so far was completely unacceptable. He emphasized that the content being discussed is not his proposal.
On the Israeli side, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video posted on social media that he highly hopes to announce new steps forward in the confrontation with Hamas and the hostage issue.
Previously, on March 18, Israel ended a ceasefire reached in January and resumed a military campaign in Gaza. Just two days later, Hamas and its allies responded with missile and armed attacks.
Hamas has said it is ready to release all remaining hostages captured in the attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, if Israel agrees to completely withdraw from Gaza and establish a permanent ceasefire. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Netanyahu only accepted a temporary ceasefire in exchange for hostages, stating that the conflict would only end when Hamas was completely eliminated.
