The US has extended a cease-fire deal to Hamas with Israel’s approval Thursday after two previous attempts by President Trump’s Special Envoy Steve Witkoff to broker agreements fell through — but the terror group said the proposal does not meet its demands.
The sides were closing in on an agreement after the envoy’s latest intense negotiations to initiate a cease-fire, a US official with knowledge of the discussions told CNN, adding that Witkoff did not directly meet with Hamas.
Palestinian American businessman and Trump loyalist Bishara Bahbah had been meeting with the terror group in Doha, Qatar, on behalf of the administration, according to a CNN source.
The deal collapse marks the latest in several failed attempts to bring the sides to the table in recent months.
The most recent cease-fire agreement — resulting in a 42-day truce — took effect Jan. 19, and resulted in the release of 33 Israeli hostages, including eight remains, in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian detainees.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed the agreement proposal had been submitted during a press briefing earlier Thursday.
However, the terms of the latest deal “does not respond to any of our people’s demands, foremost among which is stopping the war and famine,” top Hamas official Bassem Naim said, but added that the terror group would study the plan “with all national responsibility.”
He added that the terror group would study the plan “with all national responsibility” — despite it feeling like it was “screwed over” by the latest proposal, a source told the Jerusalem Post.
The Witkoff deal reportedly did not come with an iron-clad guarantee from the US that the cease-fire would lead to a permanent armistice, another source told the outlet. It also lacked specificity on how desperately needed aid would be doled out in the war-ravaged region.
“Contrary to reports, the Witkoff agreement proposed in recent days did not determine the new deployment line of the (Israel Defense Forces), nor the manner in which aid would be distributed within the framework of a ceasefire,” a senior Israeli official told the outlet.
The deal looked promising enough initially that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had shared news of the proposal with families of hostages still held in Gaza.
An Israeli official said the proposal would have required the release of 10 living hostages and the bodies of 18 deceased captives — and implemented a 60-day truce.
If a deal was struck, it could have brought about the end of the war that has raged in Gaza since the Iran-backed terror group’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, in which 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 were taken hostage.
Despite hopeful signs, the State Department warned it was far from certain that the terror group would accept the deal, spokeswoman Tammy Bruce told The Post.
“Obviously, the end-goal is an end [of the war], but ending the murders, the slaughter, the carnage and getting people what they need is key,” she said.
“You can’t talk about peace while you’re being shot at and killed. One thing has to be able to lead to the other.”
With Post wires
