Hamas Reveals U.S. Rejection of Ceasefire Proposal Through Trump Envoy
Hamas says it offered a detailed plan via Palestinian-American mediator Beshara Bahbah, but was shocked when the U.S. responded with what it calls an “Israeli paper” lacking all guarantees.
Watan-A senior Hamas official told CNN that the movement submitted a detailed proposal to Steve Witkoff, U.S. President Donald Trump’s envoy to the Middle East, through Palestinian-American intermediary Beshara Bahbah. But the American response, according to the official, came as a “shock.”
The proposal reportedly included three core points:
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The release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza,
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A 60-day ceasefire—as outlined in the U.S. plan—on the condition that the U.S. provide guarantees ensuring continued negotiations toward a permanent ceasefire and a halt to fighting after the truce ends,
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The delivery of humanitarian aid via United Nations channels, and an Israeli military withdrawal to positions held prior to March 2 before resuming any operations.
Another source familiar with the proposal told CNN that these points were discussed recently with Bahbah before being submitted to Witkoff.
However, the Hamas official stated that everything changed dramatically after Witkoff met with Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer in Washington earlier this week.
“We were shocked. Bahbah told us two or three times there was no objection to the proposal, and then suddenly we received a new document that contained none of our demands… It was an Israeli paper.”
The official stressed:“We are ready to return all the hostages in one day. We just want a guarantee that the war won’t resume. That guarantee was not in the new paper. They want to continue the war; we want to stop it.”
According to CNN, Hamas expressed readiness to release half of the remaining live hostages, numbering about 20 people, which the official described as a “major risk” in the absence of any Israeli commitment to honoring an agreement.
“We know Witkoff is a strong man, and he’s the only one who can influence Israel, but he still hasn’t provided the guarantees we need,” the official added.
He also noted that Trump’s administration appeared to backtrack after the release of dual U.S.-Israeli hostage Idan Alexander, despite the former president publicly thanking Hamas. Still, no humanitarian aid followed, further deepening Hamas’ distrust of U.S. and Israeli intentions.
The official concluded:“Hamas is very interested in reaching a deal that ends the war and returns the hostages, but we cannot move forward without real guarantees.”
