Hamas submits response to Steve Witkoff’s ceasefire proposal

The Palestinian group Hamas formally submitted its response to a recent ceasefire proposal presented by US envoy Steve Witkoff, the movement announced on Saturday, following a series of internal national consultations.

In a public statement, Hamas said the response reflects its “high responsibility toward our people and their suffering,” and that it is designed to meet key demands: a permanent ceasefire, the full withdrawal of the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) from the Gaza Strip, and unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid to civilians in the besieged territory.

“As part of this agreement, ten living Israeli captives held by the resistance will be released, along with the handover of eighteen bodies, in exchange for an agreed-upon number of Palestinian prisoners,” the statement read.

Hamas did not disclose the number of Palestinian detainees it seeks in return, but stressed that any deal must address the wider suffering of Palestinians under the ongoing "Israeli" assault and siege on Gaza.

The latest initiative, led by Witkoff with support from regional mediators, follows months of stalled negotiations and repeated calls by the international community for an end to the war, which has left tens of thousands of Palestinians dead or displaced and triggered a growing humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.