A new US-proposed ceasefire plan for Gaza, reportedly accepted by Israel, has been met with sharp criticism from Hamas, which argues it fails to address core Palestinian demands and risks prolonging the suffering in the besieged enclave.
The proposal, tabled by US President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, is “still under discussion” but does not guarantee an end to Israel’s war on Gaza, according to Hamas officials.
Hamas political bureau member Basem Naim told Reuters that the deal “does not meet any of our people’s demands, foremost among them, halting the war.”
Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri echoed this, stating to Reuters:
It did not contain commitments from Israel to end its war on Gaza, withdraw Israeli troops from the enclave, or allow aid to freely enter the war-torn territory.Sami Abu Zuhri.
Hamas is set to respond to the proposal by Saturday, with leadership studying it “with full national responsibility,” Naim added.
According to a draft cited by Reuters, the plan outlines a 60-day ceasefire, with 28 Israeli hostages — alive and dead — released in the first week in exchange for 1,236 Palestinian prisoners and the remains of 180 dead Palestinians.
Aid deliveries to Gaza would begin once Hamas signs, with the plan guaranteed by Trump, Egypt, and Qatar.
However, it lacks Israel’s commitment to a permanent ceasefire, a key Hamas demand.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed Israel’s approval of the proposal, though Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office has not publicly verified this.
Israeli analyst Akiva Eldar told Al Jazeera that it was “unusual” for Israel to come out and agree to a proposal first, suggesting Netanyahu may be banking on Hamas rejecting it to justify continuing the war.
Israel resumed its military campaign in Gaza on March 18 after a brief truce, killing nearly 4,000 Palestinians since and bringing the death toll to over 54,000, per Gaza health officials.
A months-long Israeli blockade has pushed 2 million Palestinians toward famine, with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres describing recent aid as a “teaspoon” of what is needed.
The US- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation began aid distribution this week, but chaotic scenes, including Israeli troops firing on crowds, left at least one civilian dead.
Hamas previously claimed an agreement with Witkoff for a permanent ceasefire and Israeli withdrawal, but Witkoff denied these terms, calling them “completely unacceptable.”
An anonymous US official told Al Jazeera the claims were “inaccurate” and “disappointing.”
Meanwhile, Netanyahu faces domestic pressure from far-right coalition partners like Bezalel Smotrich, who told Radio 103, “The second I realize that the state of Israel is not going to victory in the Gaza Strip and is going to give up and surrender to a terrorist organisation, I will not only leave the government, I will overthrow it in the fastest way possible.”
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir added on Telegram, “It is time to go in with full force, without blinking, to destroy, and kill Hamas to the last one.”
As Gaza’s humanitarian crisis deepens, the proposed ceasefire’s failure to address Palestinian demands for a lasting end to the war raises fears of further devastation.