Jerusalem – Tictac News
U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff told Tictac News on Monday that a ceasefire-hostage deal for Gaza is currently on the table, offering a potential path to end the war, and urged Hamas to accept the offer.
The proposal would involve the release of half of the living hostages and half of the deceased in exchange for a temporary ceasefire, after which talks would begin for a comprehensive agreement to end the conflict. Witkoff declined to reveal how long the temporary truce would last — a key sticking point in the negotiations.
“Israel will agree to a temporary ceasefire/hostage deal that would see half of the living and half of the deceased return and lead to substantive negotiations to find a path to a permanent ceasefire, which I have agreed to preside over,” Witkoff told Tictac News. “That deal is on the table. Hamas should take it.”
He added that Hamas has not yet accepted the offer.
Conflicting Reports and Negotiation Details
Earlier in the day, other media outlets reported that Hamas had agreed to release 10 hostages in two groups in exchange for a 70-day truce. Witkoff said that was not his proposal.
“What I have seen is completely unacceptable,” he said regarding those reports.
A Palestinian official involved in the negotiations told Tictac News that Hamas had accepted Witkoff’s proposal, but did not offer further details.
A U.S. official also confirmed that Witkoff has not met directly with Hamas. According to a source familiar with the matter, Palestinian-American businessman Bishara Bahbah, who led the group “Arab Americans for Trump” during the 2024 campaign, met with Hamas officials in Doha to discuss the deal, acting on behalf of the U.S. administration.
This is the first time Witkoff has publicly stated he would preside over permanent ceasefire negotiations during the proposed temporary truce.
Assurances from Washington
Hamas has long demanded guarantees that Israel will seriously engage in negotiations toward ending the war in exchange for a ceasefire. During the last truce, Israel reportedly refused to commit to such talks. Witkoff’s involvement appears to be aimed at providing Hamas with U.S. assurances that future talks would be genuine.
The Israeli government has not commented on the matter.
In a video message posted to social media Monday night, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that securing the release of hostages remains a top priority:
“I very much hope we’ll have something to announce on that front. If not today, then tomorrow – we are not giving up.”
However, two Israeli officials later told Tictac News that there had been “no progress” and that “Hamas continued to hold firm in its refusal.”
“The prime minister meant that a breakthrough could happen only if Hamas aligns with the Israeli position,” one of the officials clarified.
‘Unprecedented Attack’ Planned
The proposal comes at a critical moment as the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have issued evacuation orders for much of southern Gaza, ahead of what their spokesperson called an “unprecedented attack” on the territory.
The order includes the city of Khan Younis and surrounding areas, which IDF Arabic-language spokesperson Avichay Adree called a “dangerous combat zone that has been warned several times.”
The evacuation zone stretches all the way to the Gaza-Egypt border, where Israeli forces have occupied the Philadelphi Corridor, a 14-kilometer (8-mile) strip along the frontier. It appears to encompass the entire city of Khan Younis, densely populated with displaced Palestinians. Residents are being instructed to relocate to Al-Mawasi, a narrow coastal strip already overwhelmed with evacuees.
