What do we know about the latest US ceasefire proposal?
This is what Axios has reported, citing two unnamed sources with “direct knowledge” of the matter:
- White House envoy Steve Witkoff sent a proposal to Hamas through Israeli activist Gershon Baskin for the release of all 48 Israeli captives in exchange for a ceasefire and the release of 2,500-3,000 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
- After the ceasefire is declared, negotiations will immediately begin on the terms for ending the war – including Israel’s demands for Hamas to disarm and Hamas’s demand for a final and complete withdrawal of the Israeli army from the Gaza Strip.
- The proposal emphasised that if Hamas responds to the initiative, US President Donald Trump will work actively to end the war and that the ceasefire will continue as long as negotiations are under way on the terms for ending the war.
- The Israeli official said that the proposal to Hamas included a message that if the group does not respond to the proposal, the alternative will be a large-scale Israeli operation in Gaza.
Trump demands Hamas accept ‘my terms’ for end of Gaza war
In a Truth Social online platform, the US president claims that Israel has already accepted his terms for a deal to bring the Israeli captives home and end the Gaza war, saying that “It is time for Hamas to accept as well”.
This post appears to confirm reports that the US has conveyed a new ceasefire proposal to the Israelis that would end the war quickly. “I have warned Hamas about the consequences of not accepting,” Trump wrote. “This is my last warning, there will not be another one!”
The US president has previously, as recently as late last month, promised an end to the war with his trademark bombast. But his statements have not materialised into a ceasefire or even the free flow of humanitarian aid to a Palestinian population suffering under a punishing Israeli blockade.
The Trump administration has supplied Israel with billions of dollars in weapons and rejected international efforts to recognise a Palestinian state.
Families hail Trump’s deal proposal as ‘breakthrough’ for bringing captives home
The families of the remaining captives in Gaza say that Donald Trump’s proposal for a deal to bring their loved ones back home represents a “breakthrough”.
“The personal guarantee of the President of the United States is a historic step without precedent. Such an agreement would advance a broader regional settlement, secure the release of all hostages, allow soldiers and reservists to return home to rebuild their families and livelihoods, and lay the foundation for Israel’s security – ending a war that has dragged on for nearly two years,” the group said in a statement on X.
Their comments come after Trump claimed that Israel had already accepted his terms for a deal to bring the captives home and end the Gaza war, saying that “It is time for Hamas to accept as well.”
According to Israeli news N12, under the agreement, Hamas would free all the remaining 48 captives on the first day of the truce in exchange for thousands of Palestinian prisoners jailed in Israel and negotiate an end to the war during a ceasefire in the enclave.
