Hamas receives 'Israeli' response to US truce proposal

Hamas has received the 'Israeli' response to a US-backed ceasefire proposal for Gaza and is reviewing it carefully, but the group says it falls far short of Palestinian demands, senior Hamas official Basem Naim told Reuters on Friday, May 30, 2025.

“The response does not meet any of the just and legitimate demands of the Palestinian people,” Naim said, emphasizing the group's dissatisfaction.

According to Reuters, the American proposal outlines a 60-day ceasefire. During the first week, it calls for the release of 28 'Israeli' captives—both living and deceased—in exchange for 125 Palestinian political prisoners serving life sentences and the handover of the remains of 180 Palestinians.

The plan, which the White House says is guaranteed by US President Donald Trump and mediators from Egypt and Qatar, also includes immediate humanitarian aid to Gaza upon Hamas signing the agreement. The deal obligates Hamas to release the final 30 'Israeli' captives once a permanent ceasefire is reached.

On Thursday, the White House confirmed that Israeli Occupation had officially accepted the American proposal.

However, in further comments to CNN, a senior Hamas official revealed that the group had previously submitted a detailed counterproposal via Palestinian-American envoy Bashara Bahbah to Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff. Hamas was reportedly “shocked” by the US response, describing it as an “Israeli document,” according to the official.

Hamas’s original counterproposal included three key demands:

• The release of all 'Israeli' captives.
• A 60-day ceasefire with American guarantees for continued negotiations leading to a permanent truce.
• The delivery of humanitarian aid through United Nations channels, and a withdrawal of 'Israeli' forces from areas occupied after March 2, 2025.

Sources told CNN that these points were indeed communicated during discussions with Bahbah and shared with Witkoff. However, Hamas was surprised to find that none of its core demands were reflected in the latest proposal, reinforcing their belief that the document was shaped primarily by 'Israeli' interests.