Hamas says it hasn’t rejected ceasefire deal as Witkoff slams response as ‘unacceptable’

By Ibrahim Dahman, Abeer Salman, Lauren Izso and Catherine Nicholls, CNN

(CNN) — Hamas on Saturday said that it has responded to a Gaza ceasefire plan put forward by the US, repeating its call for an end to the war, in a move the US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff called “totally unacceptable.”

In a statement, Hamas said that its “proposal” to the mediators – Qatar and Egypt — “aims to achieve a permanent ceasefire, a comprehensive withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, and ensure the flow of aid to our people and our families in the Gaza Strip.”

“As part of this agreement, 10 living Israeli prisoners held by the resistance will be released, in addition to the return of 18 bodies, in exchange for an agreed-upon number of Palestinian prisoners,” the statement said.

A source familiar with the negotiations told CNN that the militant group’s response was “positive,” but added that it will require further negotiations and clarifications.

Hamas’ response to the US proposal demanded changes to three key areas, the source said: extending the ceasefire past 60 days, humanitarian assistance, and the positions to which Israeli troops will withdraw.

The latest response comes after a senior Hamas official told CNN earlier this week that the group had sent back a three-pronged counterproposal requesting US assurances that the negotiations over a permanent ceasefire will continue and the fighting will not resume after the pause; that humanitarian assistance be carried out through the United Nations; and that the Israeli military pull back to the positions that it held on March 2.

Witkoff said in a post on X Saturday that he received Hamas’ response, calling it “totally unacceptable” and writing that it “only takes us backward.”

“Hamas should accept the framework proposal we put forward as the basis for proximity talks, which we can begin immediately this coming week,” Witkoff continued.

Slamming the US envoy’s comments as having “complete bias,” Basem Naim, a member of Hamas’ political bureau, told CNN that the US had previously agreed upon a ceasefire proposal with Hamas which was then amended by Israel.

Hamas then submitted an updated counterproposal over the weekend, Naim said.

“We did not reject Mr. Witkoff’s proposal,” Naim said.

“Last week we came to an agreement and understanding with him on a proposal, which he deemed acceptable for negotiation,” he continued. “We were then presented with the Israeli response, which disagreed with all the provisions we had agreed upon.”

“Why, each time, is the Israeli response considered the only response for negotiation? This violates the integrity and fairness of mediation and constitutes a complete bias towards the other side,” Naim said.

An Israeli official told CNN on Saturday that they saw the militant group’s latest response as having “effectively rejected the latest Witkoff proposal and put forward a new offer with its own conditions.”

Later the same day, the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office reiterated Witkoff’s reaction to Hamas’ response, saying in a statement: “While Israel has agreed to the updated Witkoff outline for the release of our hostages, Hamas continues to adhere to its refusal.”

“Israel will continue its action for the return of our hostages and the defeat of Hamas,” the statement said.

What’s in the US proposal

The US-backed and Israel-approved proposal seen by CNN on Friday includes Hamas releasing 10 Israeli hostages and 18 deceased hostages in exchange for 125 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences and 1,111 Gazans detained since the war began.

Negotiations toward a permanent ceasefire would begin immediately on the first day of the 60-day truce, according to the US proposal. The terms of the agreement would also allow humanitarian aid to enter Gaza “immediately” and be distributed “through agreed upon channels,” including the United Nations and the Red Crescent, according to the proposal.

But the draft agreement contained no intrinsic guarantee of a permanent end to the war, a key Hamas demand, nor assurances that the ceasefire will be extended as long as negotiations continue. Instead, it said that US President Donald Trump is “committed to working to ensure that good faith negotiations continue until a final agreement is reached.”

Hamas had initially signaled reluctance to accept the terms of the deal. Bassem Naim, a member of the Hamas political bureau, said on Facebook Thursday that the framework did “not respond to any of our people’s demands” but that discussions were underway, nonetheless.

The back-and-forth between Israel and Hamas comes as famine conditions worsen in the Gaza Strip.

Israel’s 11-week blockade of humanitarian aid has left the enclave’s population facing starvation. Though it was lifted last week, much of the little aid that has entered the strip since has been looted, and several people have been killed after chaos broke out near aid distribution sites, according to the Palestinian health ministry.

Nearly 80 aid trucks traveling through southern and central Gaza were looted by desperate civilians on Saturday, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) said.

In a statement issued on X, the WFP said 77 trucks had crossed into Gaza loaded with flour. All of them “were stopped along the way, with food taken mainly by hungry people trying to feed their families.”

It added that “after 80 days of a total blockade, communities are starving – and they are no longer willing to let food pass them by.”

This story has been updated with developments.

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CNN’s Jeremy Diamond, Tim Lister, Dana Karni, Alex Marquardt, Kylie Atwood and Oren Liebermann contributed to this report.