Jerusalem | The White House on Saturday (Sunday AEST) denounced Hamas’ response to a new US ceasefire proposal as totally unacceptable and said it “only takes us backward” after the group sought firmer guarantees the deal would lead to a permanent end to the war.
Under the US proposal – floated by Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy – Israel and Hamas would halt the fighting in the Gaza Strip for at least 60 days, during which some hostages would be freed in exchange for Palestinians jailed by Israel. And there would be further US-backed negotiations on a permanent end to the war.
