Gaza (quds News Network)- Hamas announced Monday that it had accepted a US-backed ceasefire and prisoner deal. But US envoy Steve Witkoff claimed the opposite — that Hamas rejected the deal, while Israel accepted it.
The deal includes a 70-day truce, the release of 10 living Israeli prisoners, and a partial Israeli military withdrawal from Gaza. It also calls for the release of hundreds of Palestinian detinees, including those serving life sentences.
An official from Hamas told Al Jazeera that the resistance group accepted the American proposal. The plan, based on Witkoff’s own framework, would see Israeli forces leave key routes and populated areas, including Salah al-Din road and the Netzarim corridor in central Gaza.
But Channel 14 reported that Israel rejected the offer. An Israeli source told the channel that Hamas proposed the deal, and even with US guarantees to end the war, Israel refused.
In a confusing twist, Steve Witkoff publicly contradicted Hamas. “What I have seen from Hamas is disappointing and completely unacceptable,” he told Axios. Witkoff insisted that Israel is ready to accept the deal, which includes the return of “half of the living and half of the deceased” Israeli prisoners, and would lead to talks for a permanent ceasefire.
“Hamas should take it,” Witkoff added.
The contradiction has caused political fallout. Hamas says the ball is in Israel’s court. Israel says Hamas won’t cooperate. And Witkoff claims Hamas is to blame for the deadlock.
With more than 53,000 Palestinians killed since October 2023, the Gaza genocide grinds on, while diplomatic efforts are buried under layers of denial and conflicting narratives.
