Hamas says it responded to latest Gaza truce proposal

GAZA CITY, Palestine: Hamas said on Thursday that it has responded to an Israeli proposal for a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza, after more than two weeks of indirect negotiations in Qatar failed to yield a truce.

The Palestinian militant group said in a statement on Telegram that it has “just submitted its response and that of the Palestinian factions to the ceasefire proposal to the mediators”.

A statement from the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed it had received the response.

“It is currently being evaluated,” it added.

Hamas’s response included proposed amendments to clauses on the entry of aid, maps of areas from which the Israeli army should withdraw, and guarantees on securing a permanent end to the war, according to a Palestinian source familiar with the ongoing talks in Doha.

Negotiators from both sides have been holding indirect talks in Doha through mediators in an attempt to reach an agreement on a truce deal that would see the release of Israeli hostages.

Of the 251 hostages taken during Hamas’s 2023 attack, 49 are still being held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead.

But the talks have dragged on for more than two weeks without a breakthrough, with each side blaming the other for refusing to budge on their key demands.

For Israel, dismantling Hamas’s military and governing capabilities is non-negotiable, while Hamas demands firm guarantees on a lasting truce, a full withdrawal of Israeli troops and the free flow of aid into Gaza.

Israeli government spokesman David Mencer on Wednesday accused Hamas of obstructing the talks.

“Israel has agreed to the Qatari proposal and the updated (US special envoy Steve) Witkoff proposal, it is Hamas that is refusing,” Mencer told reporters, adding that Israel’s negotiating team was still in Doha and talks were ongoing.

The United States said Witkoff will head to Europe this week for talks on a possible ceasefire and an aid corridor.

More than 100 aid organisations warned on Wednesday that “mass starvation” was spreading in Gaza.