Hamas debating U.S. proposal for Gaza ceasefire, officials say

The White House is awaiting Hamas' response to the new Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal proposal President Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff presented on Wednesday night, but U.S. officials are sounding less optimistic about an imminent breakthrough than 24 hours earlier.Why it matters: White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Israel signed off on the proposal before Witkoff submitted it to Hamas. But some in the militant group believe that rather than meeting in the middle, Witkoff's offer included new concessions to Israel."Discussions are continuing and we hope a ceasefire in Gaza will take place so that we can return all the hostages home. ... If a ceasefire comes into effect you will hear about it directly from me, from the president or from special envoy Witkoff," Leavitt said. Hamas said in a statement that it was still studying the proposal. But members of the group have expressed serious concerns about the lack of clear guarantees that Israel won't again unilaterally end the ceasefire, as it did in March, according to two sources with direct knowledge.Breaking it down: The new proposal for a 60-day ceasefire — under which President Trump would guarantee Israel's compliance — doesn't differ much from previous propositions. It involves the release of 10 live hostages and 18 deceased hostages held in Gaza — half on the first day and half on day 7 of the ceasefire.In exchange, Israel would release 125 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences in Israel, another 1,100 Palestinians detained by the Israel Defense Forces in Gaza after Oct. 7, 2023, and the bodies of 180 Palestinians allegedly killed during attacks on Israelis.The IDF would redeploy its forces in Gaza in two phases, with the exact details to be negotiated by the parties ahead of the temporary ceasefire.Humanitarian aid to Gaza would be resumed through the UN and the Red Crescent. It's unclear what this means for the controversial new aid mechanism launched earlier this week.Behind the scenes: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told hostage families on Thursday that Israel is ready to move forward with a hostage and ceasefire deal in Gaza on the basis of Witkoff's proposal, according to a source who was in the meeting.Witkoff's new proposal was fully coordinated with Israel and was a result of his meeting with Netanyahu's confidant Ron Dermer at the White House on Tuesday, an Israeli official and a source with knowledge tell Axios.Zoom in: Witkoff's proposal includes a commitment that Trump would personally announced the temporary ceasefire and work to ensure that during those 60 days "good faith negotiations take place until a final settlement is reached."Those negotiations would focus on the number of Palestinian prisoners to be released in exchange for the remaining Israeli hostages, the terms of Israel's withdrawal from Gaza, and security arrangements and post-war governance in Gaza "with each side presenting its positions."The document says the parties must reach an agreement for a permanent ceasefire within 60 days. If an agreement is reached, the remaining hostages will be released. If not, the ceasefire can be extended by mutual consent.Friction point: While the proposal says the U.S., Qatar and Egypt would all guarantee serious negotiations take place for a permanent ceasefire, Hamas wanted much stronger guarantees from the U.S. that Israel wouldn't walk away again.Hamas officials saw those elements of the document as a shift in the U.S. position in Israel's favor, according to the two sources with direct knowledge.Hamas officials were also angered by the fact that the proposal didn't clearly state that Israeli forces must withdraw to the same lines as before the pervious ceasefire collapsed in March, the sources said.They also objected to the fact that the proposal didn't say that aid would be delivered exclusively through the previous channels and not through the newly launched Gaza Humanitarian Fund.What to watch: Hamas officials in Doha expressed frustration about the new proposal with several of them pushing to reject it. Other Hamas official argued the group should accept the proposal with additional conditions.

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