Hamas says it accepted a US-mediated ceasefire proposal in principle but accuses Israel of removing all key guarantees, including a full withdrawal and uninterrupted humanitarian aid.
The Palestinian resistance movement Hamas on Sunday rejected claims that it turned down a US-mediated ceasefire proposal, instead accusing Israel of derailing negotiations and refusing to commit to the most basic humanitarian and security guarantees.
Hamas senior official Basem Naim stated that the group had responded “positively and responsibly” to a proposal brought forward by US envoy Steve Witkoff last week, describing it as an acceptable foundation for negotiation.
“We did not reject Mr. Witkoff’s proposal,” Naim said in a statement. “We agreed with Mr. Witkoff last week on a proposal, which he considered acceptable as a basis for negotiation. We then received the other party’s response to it, and that response did not align with any clause of what we had agreed upon, nor did it meet the minimum demands of our people.”
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Naim emphasized that Hamas had sought two key guarantees in its response: a commitment to a 60-day ceasefire and the unimpeded entry of humanitarian aid delivered through United Nations agencies.
The group also demanded that negotiations lead to a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip and a permanent end to the war.
Instead, he said, the Israeli response removed any enforceable commitments. “The occupation wants to negotiate the withdrawal maps that were agreed upon on January 19, based on the occupation’s new military presence,” Naim noted, warning that this approach “effectively perpetuates the occupation’s control and command within the Strip.”
Taher Al-Nono, media advisor to the head of Hamas’ Political Bureau, confirmed that the movement agreed in principle to release ten Israeli captives under the framework of the proposal, but said the disagreement lay in the absence of enforceable commitments.
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“We want a permanent ceasefire, not a temporary one that ends after 60 days,” Al-Nono said. “What the occupation proposes is the continued occupation of parts of Gaza and the continuation of the starvation policy.”
He also denounced what he described as the United States’ alignment with Israel’s vision. “The American administration applies the occupation’s vision,” he said, adding that Hamas had engaged with mediators only in the interest of alleviating the suffering of the Palestinian people.
Another senior Hamas official, Mahmoud Mardawi, echoed these criticisms in a statement published on social media. He said Hamas had worked “for weeks of serious and responsible negotiations” with Witkoff and had reached “an acceptable formula that aligns with the minimum national goals.”
However, Mardawi claimed that Israel rejected the document outright and asked the Americans to present it to Hamas as a final, non-negotiable offer.
“The paper is laden with catastrophic flaws,” he said. “It did not guarantee a real withdrawal from the territories, did not guarantee a comprehensive cessation of hostilities, [and] did not guarantee a sustainable flow of humanitarian aid.”
Despite this, Mardawi said Hamas did not reject the plan but requested amendments to ensure a halt to the killing and clear obligations for Israeli withdrawal and aid access.
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“We said ‘yes, but…’,” he added. “Yes in principle, but we rejected the understandings as a legitimacy for the continuation of genocide and starvation.”
He concluded by stressing that Hamas is not obstructing peace efforts. “We are not the party that sabotages efforts or evades,” Mardawi said. “We offered a responsible agreement and amended it to protect our people from genocide. What we are asking for are not political conditions, but a minimum of human dignity.”
The statements follow growing international pressure on Israel and Hamas to reach a ceasefire agreement as the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza worsens, with aid agencies warning of famine, disease, and total collapse of infrastructure. Despite several rounds of talks mediated by the United States, Egypt, and Qatar, a comprehensive deal remains elusive.
(PC, AA, Telegram)
The Nazi Zionist Regime never misses a chance for peace … that’s what Nazis do.
Hamas, sumud!
It has been obvious for very many years, and by Israel’s taking over so much land, supporting a growing number of settlements and the violence of settlers, that peace is not on Israel’s agenda. ‘Peace’ to them means getting rid of all obstacles.