Gaza, Hamas rejects US proposal for truce: ‘It does not meet our demands’

The plan supported by Trump and accepted by Israel provides for a 60-day ceasefire, but the Islamist movement considers it unbalanced and insufficient

Gaza – The US-led mediation attempt for a truce in the Gaza Strip has failed, at least for now. The proposal presented by White House envoy Steve Witkoff and accepted by the Israeli government has been rejected by Hamas, which disputes its contents, judging them inadequate.

According to Bassem Naim, a member of the group in exile, the plan “does not meet the demands of our people” and does not guarantee a real end to hostilities. “It is a perpetuation of the occupation, with the continuation of killings and hunger even during the truce,” he told AFP. Despite this, he added that the Hamas leadership is examining the proposal with a sense of responsibility.

The American plan, which has received the support of President Donald Trump, provides for a 60-day ceasefire, during which 10 hostages would be released in two stages, one week apart. Israel and Hamas would also exchange bodies: 18 hostages on the Palestinian side and 180 bodies of prisoners on the Israeli side.

The release of 125 Palestinian prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment and more than 1,100 Gaza residents arrested after 7 October is also planned. Israeli forces would withdraw from recently occupied areas in the Strip and the distribution of humanitarian aid would return to UN control, replacing the current system entrusted to American volunteers.

However, sources cited by Axios report that the text of the proposal is more biased in favour of Israel than previous ones, with no guarantees that the temporary truce will lead to a definitive end to the conflict. Furthermore, there is no provision for an automatic extension of the ceasefire in the event of failure to reach agreement within 60 days, leaving open the possibility of a unilateral resumption of military operations by Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to Israeli media reports, has confirmed his government’s acceptance of the plan, but without additional conditions. The scope for negotiation and the possible evolution of the negotiations in the coming days now remain to be clarified.

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(Photo: © AndKronos)