A ceasefire proposal tabled by the US administration has been deemed unacceptable by Hamas, as it does not meet the group’s demands for a halt to the war in Gaza. Basem Naim, a Hamas political bureau member, stated that the proposal “does not meet any of our people’s demands, foremost among them, halting the war.” Despite this, the movement’s leadership is still studying the response to the proposal with “full national responsibility.”
The details of the proposal have not been made public, but senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri said it lacked commitments from Israel to end its war on Gaza, withdraw troops, or allow aid to freely enter the territory. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt claimed Israel had “signed off” on the ceasefire proposal, but the Israeli government has not publicly confirmed this.
Israeli political analyst Akiva Eldar suggested that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu might be betting on the plan being impossible for Hamas to accept, allowing him to paint them as the “bad guys” and continue the war. “It happened before… and Netanyahu put the blame on them,” Eldar said.
The conflict has seen conflicting reports, with Hamas previously claiming it had reached an understanding on a ceasefire “general framework” with US envoy Steve Witkoff. However, Witkoff later denied this, stating that the terms reported were “completely unacceptable.” Israel has also dismissed the claim, calling it “psychological warfare” and “propaganda.”
The war on Gaza has resulted in significant humanitarian concerns, with the UN warning that the population is on the brink of famine due to Israel’s blockade on humanitarian aid. The situation remains dire, with over 54,000 Palestinians killed and thousands more displaced.