Hamas responds to new Witkoff proposal, insists on full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza

The Hamas terrorist group announced on Saturday that it has responded to the latest ceasefire deal that was proposed by U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff on Wednesday.

"Following a round of national consultations, and out of our responsibility to our people and their suffering, Hamas today submitted to the mediators its response to the latest proposal by US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, in a manner that will lead to a permanent ceasefire, a full withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, and ensuring the flow of aid to our people in the Gaza Strip," Hamas said in a statement.

"As part of this agreement, 10 live Israeli hostages, held by the resistance, will be released, in addition to the return of 18 bodies, in exchange for an agreed number of Palestinian prisoners," the statement concluded.

Because the original Witkoff proposal did not address a full Israeli troop withdrawal or a permanent ceasefire, Hamas did not address those issues in its response

Sources told Saudi news outlets Al-Arabiya and Al-Hadath that Hamas would respond positively to the proposal, but with amendments.

According to Al-Arabiya, Hamas will oppose the absence of clear guarantees for ending the war. The outlet also reported that the terrorist group will warn that it will not allow Israel "freedom of action to renew the war," and will demand U.S. guarantees to ensure the implementation of the clauses in any agreement with Israel.

In addition, the report stated that Hamas will request a change to the prisoner release timeline outlined in Witkoff’s proposal, insisting that Palestinian prisoners be released in batches over the 60-day truce instead of all within two days.

"Our observations on Witkoff's proposal were unanimously agreed upon by all factions," the Saudi sources quoted a Hamas source as saying.

Another Al-Arabiya report stated that Hamas shared Witkoff’s proposal with several Palestinian groups. While some acknowledged the plan’s shortcomings, they reportedly urged Hamas to accept its general framework.

The Palestinian factions argued that the proposal offers a chance to “stop the war, and make clear that any possibility for it continuing must be taken away from Netanyahu,” adding that the current international pressure on Israel should be used to prevent further settlement expansion in the Judea and Samaria.

A response from Hamas was expected today, following a press conference at the White House on Friday, when U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters that Israel and the Hamas were “very close to an agreement on Gaza.”

“We want to see if we can stop the fighting,” Trump stated. “We’ve spoken with Israel, and we want to bring this whole situation to an end as soon as possible.”