US Envoy calls Hamas ceasefire response 'totally unacceptable'

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
1 Jun 2025 01:46

As US envoy Steve Witkoff deems Hamas' response to the Gaza ceasefire proposal "totally unacceptable", Hamas affirms it has not rejected the deal.

White House special envoy Steve Witkoff speaks with journalists after a signing ceremony between US President Donald Trump and Qatar's Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani at the Amiri Diwan in Doha, Qatar, on May 14, 2025. (AP)

United States Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff criticized Hamas on Saturday over its response to a Washington-backed ceasefire proposal, describing the group’s position as “totally unacceptable," saying it “only takes us backward.”

In a post on X, Witkoff claimed that Hamas should immediately agree to the framework proposal presented by the US as the basis for indirect talks, saying, “That is the only way we can close a 60-day ceasefire deal in the coming days in which half of the living hostages (captives) and half of those who are deceased will come home to their families.”

The envoy insisted that proximity talks could begin as soon as next week if Hamas accepts the deal, and emphasized the need for “substantive negotiations in good-faith to try to reach a permanent ceasefire.”

Hamas: We have not rejected the proposal

Responding to Witkoff’s remarks, senior Hamas official Basem Naim told Reuters that the group had not rejected the proposal. Rather, he said Hamas was seeking amendments, particularly in light of what he called an incompatible response from the Israeli side.

Naim criticized the US envoy’s rhetoric, stating that his stance was “unfair” and demonstrated “complete bias” in favor of the Israeli position. He reiterated that Hamas’s engagement with the proposal was genuine, but hinged on modifications that addressed the group's concerns.

The proposed deal, according to earlier reports, includes a 60-day truce and the phased release of captives in exchange for Palestinian prisoners being held by Israeli occupation authorities. While Washington and Tel Aviv have claimed to support the initiative, Hamas and other Palestinian Resistance factions' demands for amendments have exposed deep divide over the deal’s terms.

Their demands include:

The unconditional flow of humanitarian aid
Commencement of reconstruction in the Gaza Strip
Full withdrawal of the occupation forces from Gaza
Return of displaced Palestinians to their homes

Initiative for national leadership

The factions revealed they are working on an initiative to halt the famine, provide emergency shelter, and stop the ongoing genocide. This initiative also aims to:

Establish a temporary and acceptable national leadership to manage Gaza during truce periods
Ensure stability and administrative continuity
Create a political opening that restores hope to the Palestinian people