US messenger Steve Witchoff says that Hamas ceasefire response ‘only takes us backward,’ pushes the 60 -day Truste as a path of interaction with Israel
The American Special Envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witchoff, rejected Hamas’s response to a proposed ceasefire deal with Israel, called it “completely unacceptable” and said that it is “backward us only.,In a post on X, Witcofofy said, “I received Hamas’s response to the United States proposal. It is completely unacceptable and only backward. Hamas should accept the framework proposal that we have put forward as the basis of close talk, which we can start immediately in this coming week.”The US proposal includes a 60-day ceasefire, during which Hamas will release 10 living Israeli hostages and return the bodies of 18 others, CNN said.In turn, Israel will release 125 Palestinian prisoners from life sentence and 1,111 other detainees from Gaza.Hamas, in his response shared with the mediators Qatar and Egypt, said that it wants a permanent conflict, a full Israeli return from Gaza, and increases support to people in the region. The group confirmed that it would release the hostage as part of the deal.Vitkoff said that the only way forward was to accept the current proposal for Hamas, supported by the US and was approved by Israel to begin negotiations.“This is the only way we can close the 60-day ceasefire deal in the coming days, half of the living hostages who are dead who are dead will come home for their families and in which we can interact closely, interact in good faith to try to reach a permanent ceasefire,” they added to their posts.The American proposal asks for a conversation about a permanent ceasefire to immediately start the first day of the 60-day Trus. However, it does not promise a permanent end to the war or the expansion of ceasefire beyond 60 days.
