Agreement on a ceasefire in Gaza? Both Israel and Hamas deny reports

Al Arabiya network reported this evening (Thursday) that Israel and Hamas have reached an agreement on a 60-day ceasefire, which U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to announce in the coming hours. The report has not been confirmed by other sources. A political official stated that contrary to the reports, Israel does not acknowledge any Hamas agreement to the plan proposed by U.S. envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff.

Hamas also denied that any agreements had been reached. On the terror organization’s Al-Aqsa channel, it was reported that “Hamas is still reviewing the latest proposal; it is not true that it has agreed to it.”

Kan News reported for the first time today that sources familiar with the negotiations said Hamas is dissatisfied with Witkoff’s new proposal and is struggling to accept it. According to the sources, the organization was angered by the fact that the proposal does not guarantee a full ceasefire nor a complete withdrawal of IDF troops from the Gaza Strip. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told families of fallen hostages that Israel accepts the proposal.

Ruchama Bohbot, the mother of hostage Elkana Bohbot, responded to the report in a radio interview with Chen Lieberman and Yishai Shenrav on Kan Reshet Bet, saying, “600 days, and nothing has happened. Everyone is still there. This is a game – and it’s a political game. A dirty and massive political game.” She spoke of her anguish: “My stomach is in knots. I don’t know who to believe.”

“I already asked top government officials what will happen if Hamas agrees tomorrow. If there’s a ready list of ten [hostages]. They told me there isn’t. So I asked what they plan to do – sit on it for another two or three weeks? Check who’s more humanitarian? They’re all humanitarian, apparently. That’s why they need to make a deal. End this damn war – excuse my harsh words, I’m losing my mind. I’m no longer myself,” Bohbot said with pain.

She expressed frustration over the abundance of different proposed frameworks and cried out for the release of her son and all the hostages: “What is this, ping-pong? Enough. They’ve destroyed us. My plea is to all decision-makers – all the ministers, the government, and anyone making decisions at the expense of my son. My son should have been out long ago and returned to his child.”

Robi Chen, father of Staff Sgt. Itay Chen, who fell in battle on Oct. 7 and whose body was taken to Gaza, spoke to Maya Rakhlin on Kan’s Six O'clock News after meeting with Netanyahu: “He repeated the three goals of the war –but I didn’t hear any prioritization of the hostages’ return.”

“There are several frameworks on the table, and they all condition the release of the final hostage on the war’s end,” Chen said. “We tried to ask Netanyahu why he doesn’t say he’s willing to offer guarantees to end the war – if it includes returning all the hostages.”

The father of the fallen hostage said the prime minister did not answer that question: “He only repeated the need to prevent another October 7. I told him that saving lives today takes precedence over saving lives tomorrow.”

“We told him what the group of bereaved hostage families is going through, and he kept repeating the number of living hostages,” Chen continued. “I asked him why not a single fallen hostage has been returned in any deal signed by the Israeli government – but his answer didn’t satisfy me. He simply didn’t remember.”

Yesterday, a Palestinian source familiar with the negotiations told Kan that contrary to Hamas’ official statement, the group had not reached a “framework agreement” with Witkoff.

According to the source, yesterday Hamas had already anticipated that Witkoff “would soon present a new proposal,” which is actually one of the existing frameworks with “cosmetic changes” and still does not include a clause on a permanent ceasefire between the sides.

Earlier today, an Israeli source confirmed the Kan News report that under Witkoff’s new proposal, ten hostages would be released during the first week of the ceasefire. According to the source, the release would likely happen in two phases – on the first day and on the seventh.

Also this morning, Kan Reshet Bet’s 'This Morning' program reported for the first time that the U.S. administration expressed optimism about Witkoff’s revised proposal, believing it could lead to a ceasefire agreement and hostage release in the coming days – possibly as soon as early next week.

Written by KAN 11 correspondents Elior Levy and Yael Ciechanover.