Israel Agrees to New US-Backed Ceasefire Proposal, Hamas: 'Still Under Discussion'

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Israel has accepted a new ceasefire proposal from US envoy Steve Witkoff, according to an Israeli official cited by CNN. The Israeli official said the proposal calls for the release of 10 hostages still alive and 18 deceased hostages, as well as a 60-day ceasefire.

The official did not provide details on the start of talks to end the war permanently, a major demand of Hamas that Israel has rejected.

Meanwhile, Hamas official Bassem Naim said, as quoted from Al Jazeera, that the proposal is "still under discussion," but the current form will only result in more killing and the continued famine in Gaza. 

“Nevertheless, the movement’s leadership is studying, with all national responsibility, a response to the proposal, in light of the genocide to which our people are being subjected,” he said on Facebook.

Hamas has responded to Witkoff's latest proposal with three counterpoints, according to a senior Hamas official. The official said Hamas will agree to the release of the hostages and a 60-day ceasefire, as outlined in the US proposal. But Hamas wants US' assurance that negotiations for a permanent ceasefire will continue and the fighting will not resume after 60 days. 

Hamas wants humanitarian assistance to be carried out through the United Nations, and for the Israeli military to withdraw to the positions held on March 2 earlier this year, before Israel resumed its military operation.

According to the Hostage and Missing Families Forum, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the hostages' families the day before that he had accepted Witkoff's proposal.

In her briefing on Thursday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that special envoy Witkoff and Trump had put forward a ceasefire proposal to Hamas supported and endorsed by Israel. Discussions are ongoing.

"We hope that a ceasefire in Gaza will take place so we can return all of the hostages home and that’s been a priority for this administration from the beginning," said Leavitt.

On March 18, 2025, Israel launched renewed attacks on Gaza after the end of a six-week ceasefire deal with Hamas. Netanyahu announced that the battle had resumed with full force. The total official death toll in the besieged enclave surpassed 54,000.

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