Washington [US], May 30: The White House said Israel had agreed to a US ceasefire proposal for the Gaza Strip while Hamas said it was reviewing the plan even though the terms did not fully meet its demands.
According to Israeli media , Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has told the families of hostages held in the Gaza Strip that Israel accepts a ceasefire deal proposed by US Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff.
Netanyahu's office did not confirm the report, but White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told reporters in Washington DC that Israel had agreed to the proposal, according to Reuters.
Ms. Leavitt did not disclose details of the plan, but The New York Times quoted an Israeli official familiar with the proposal as saying that the first phase would include a 60-day ceasefire and humanitarian aid would be delivered through U.N.-led operations.
Hamas said it was studying the proposal. Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters the group was still discussing it.
However, Mr. Abu Zuhri said the terms of the proposal reflected Israel's position and did not include commitments to end hostilities, withdraw Israeli troops or allow aid as Hamas demanded.
Deep differences between Hamas and Israel have hampered previous efforts to revive the ceasefire, which collapsed in March after just two months in effect.
Israel remains adamant that Hamas must be militarily and administratively dismantled, and that all 58 hostages still held in Gaza be released. Hamas has rejected demands to give up its weapons and insists that Israel withdraw from Gaza and commit to an end to hostilities.
Hamas's conditions
An Israeli official told CNN that the current proposal calls for the release of 10 living hostages and 18 dead hostages, along with a 60-day ceasefire. The official did not provide details on the start of negotiations aimed at ending hostilities permanently, a key Hamas demand that Israel has refused to accept.
According to a senior Hamas official, the group responded to Special Envoy Steve Witkoff's latest proposal with three conditions.
Accordingly, Hamas is ready to agree to the release of hostages and a 60-day ceasefire as outlined in the US proposal, but they want assurances from Washington that negotiations on a permanent ceasefire will continue and fighting will not resume after the 60-day period.
Hamas also wants humanitarian aid to be delivered through UN channels. Finally, they demand that the Israeli army withdraw to positions it seized on March 2 this year, before Israel resumed military operations.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
