Hamas: US-backed Gaza ceasefire deal 'does not meet needs of Palestinians'

Hamas has voiced strong reservations over a US-backed ceasefire proposal for Gaza on Thursday, saying the plan fails to meet the demands of the Palestinian people.

Bassem Naim, a member of Hamas’s Political Bureau, said in a statement:

"The essence of the occupation’s [Israel's] response means the perpetuation of the occupation and the continuation of killing and starvation (even during the temporary truce period). It does not respond to any of our people’s demands, foremost among them being an end to the war and famine."

He added that the Hamas leadership is "studying the proposal with a sense of national responsibility".

According to the BBC, a senior Hamas official stated that the group is likely to reject the ceasefire offer put forward by US envoy Steve Witkoff, citing the lack of a "humanitarian protocol that allows for the entry of hundreds of trucks daily" into Gaza. The official said the proposal also contradicts earlier discussions Hamas had held with American officials.

Hamas confirmed it had received the revised proposal and said it was examining it "responsibly and in a manner that serves the interests of our people and their relief, and achieves a permanent ceasefire in the Strip".

Reuters reported that Hamas would issue its response on Friday or Saturday, while the White House announced on Thursday that Israel had agreed to the proposed deal.

The news agency additionally detailed the proposal as including a 60-day ceasefire and the release of 28 Israeli detainees - both living and deceased - within the first week, in exchange for 125 Palestinian prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment and the remains of 180 Palestinian martyrs.

The plan also includes provisions for immediate humanitarian aid to Gaza and the release of the remaining 30 Israeli hostages upon the implementation of a permanent ceasefire. The deal is said to be guaranteed by the US, Egypt, and Qatar.

Further details, according to exclusive sources speaking to The New Arab's Arabic sister outlet Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, include that Israel would halt all offensive military operations immediately upon the agreement’s signing. Hamas would release ten Israeli captives and return 18 bodies in two phases.

Five living captives and nine bodies would be released on day one, with another five and nine deceased on the seventh day. In exchange, Israel would release 125 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences and 1,111 detainees from Gaza arrested after 7 October 2023, along with 180 bodies of Gaza residents. On the tenth day, Hamas is expected to submit a full list and detailed medical reports on the remaining Israeli captives.

However, significant points of contention remain.

Al-Araby Al-Jadeed also reported that Israel is insisting on the full disarmament of Hamas, the dismantling of its military capacity, and the end of its governance in Gaza. The deal leaves it ambiguous as to whether Israel could restart its devastating war on the Palestinian enclave at any time, while also seemingly leaving open an indefinite Israeli occupation of parts of Gaza.

While claiming to accept the ceasefire, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also said that Israel will have indefinite "security control" over Gaza and facilitate what he refers to as the "voluntary emigration" of much of its population. This would amount to occupation and ethnic cleansing, both of which are war crimes and crimes against humanity. 

Hamas has therefore said it will refuse to disarm until Israel withdraws its forces and commits fully to a permanent end to hostilities, with no talk of forcing Palestinians out of Gaza.

At least 54,249 people have been killed in Gaza during the war, including almost 4000 since Israel resumed its offensive in March.