A ceasefire proposal made by the Trump administration has been fulfilled with criticism from Hamas, which says the current conditions would only lead to further killings and famine in the besieged gaza strip.
The plan that the United States says that Israel has already accepted remains during the review of the Hamas management, Al Jazeera reported.
Hamas officials say the proposal lacks the core guaranteeing that Palestinians have long demanded: a permanent cessation of Israeli military operations, full withdrawal of occupying forces and unbound humanitarian access.
“The trade does not meet any of our people’s demands, first and foremost among them and stops the war,” said Basem Naim, a member of Hamas’ political agency. “Nevertheless, the movement’s leadership is studying the answer with full national responsibility.”
An answer is expected at the end of the week, even when there are tensions on Earth and within diplomatic channels.
A plan with conditions
According to a draft seen by ReutersThe ceasefire plan would span over 60 days and include the release of 28 Israeli hostages, both living and deceased, in return for 125 Palestinian prisoners and the remains of 180 Palestinians. The conditions have not been publicly revealed by officials from both sides.
Mediated by Egypt and Qatar and reportedly guaranteed by President Donald Trump, the plan would provide international help to flow into Gaza as soon as Hamas signs the deal.
However, Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri said the proposal did not succeed in encompassing any Israeli obligation to end the war or lift the blockade and raise serious doubts about its sincerity.
“This is just another attempt to press the resistance while civilians in Gaza continue to suffer,” Zuhri told Reuters.
READ: Israeli strikes kill 55 people in Gaza today
Contributing accounts
Earlier this week, Hamas said it had reached an initial understanding of Trump’s Middle East-emergency, Steve Witkoff, who involved a framework for a permanent ceasefire and the establishment of a neutral administrative body to control Gaza after the war.
However, Witkoff denied that any such agreement had reached, calling Hamas’ version “completely unacceptable”. An American official described the group’s statement as “inaccurate and disappointing”.
Israeli officials also rejected the Hamas account, with a named source quoted in local media labeling of the “psychological warning”.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has signaled a willingness to move forward with the US-supported proposal, according to reports shared with families by Israeli prisoners. Some analysts suggest that this may be a political calculation aimed at blaming Hamas if conversations collapse.
“This is not the first time Netanyahu has made a deal impossible to accept and then accused Hamas of the failure,” Israeli analyst Akiva Eldar told Al Jazeera.
On Earth: War and Hunger
The situation in Gaza remains disastrous. Since Israel resumed its military assault on March 18, after breaking the ceasefire and conditions, more than 4,000 Palestinians have been killed, bringing the total death toll to over 54,000, according to Palestinian health authorities.
The blockade of humanitarian help has pushed many areas of Gaza to the brink of famine. Although Israel partially facilitated its restrictions on May 19, enabling some help that the United Nations Secretary -General Antonio Guterres called the relief “a teaspoon of what is needed”.
Read more: Hamas accepts us ceasefire proposal but Israel rejects that
This week, chaotic scenes unfolded as thousands of Palestinians swirled the supply of limited assistance distributed by the American and Israeli supported Gaza Humanitarian Foundation- a new and controversial initiative, criticized by many in the region for having lacked transparency and local coordination.
Israeli war against gaza
Gaza’s Ministry of Health said on Sunday that at least 3,785 people had been killed in the territory since a ceasefire collapsed on March 18 and took the total toll of the war to 53,939, mostly civilians, according to AFP.
Israeli’s atrocities have expelled about 90% of Gaza’s estimated 2 million inhabitants, created a serious hunger crisis and caused widespread destruction across the territory.
The Israeli army has been pursuing a brutal offensive against Gaza since October 2023 and killed at least 61,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, according to Al Jazeera.
The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel is also facing a genocide at the International Court of Justice for his war against the enclave.
