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WASHINGTON — Hamas responded Saturday to the US cease-fire proposal with a bevy of new conditions, which were swiftly ripped by special envoy Steve Witkoff as “totally unacceptable.” The
terror group’s demands effectively stalled negotiations on the 60-day truce by demanding that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu consider a permanent cease-fire after an initial
release of hostages, along with the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza. Hamas also demanded unrestricted humanitarian aid pour into the region. If a permanent truce is not
reached within 60 days, Hamas also wanted to halt the Jewish State from resuming fighting, according to the outlet. And they seemed interested in a longer timeline to conduct hostage and
prisoner exchanges with Israel. “I received the Hamas response to the United States’ proposal. It is totally unacceptable and only takes us backward,” Witkoff posted on X. “Hamas should
accept the framework proposal we put forward as the basis for proximity talks, which we can begin immediately this coming week.” Without accepting the initial framework, Witkoff — whose
plan didn’t include a permanent cease-fire or full withdrawal — cautioned that a lasting peace would remain out of reach. “That is the only way we can close a 60-day ceasefire deal in the
coming days in which half of the living hostages and half of those who are deceased will come home to their families and in which we can have … substantive negotiations in good-faith to try
to reach a permanent ceasefire,” he said. The most recent cease-fire proposal pitched Thursday by Witkoff calls for a 60-day truce as well as the release of the 10 living Israeli hostages
and the bodies of 18 deceased captives. The deal would also prompt the release of 125 Palestinian terrorists serving life sentences in Israel and 1,111 more from Gaza who have been detained
since the war broke out on Oct. 7, 2023, following Hamas’ massacre of 1,200 Israelis. Another 180 bodies of dead Palestinians in Israel would also be returned under the terms of the
proposal. It marked the second attempt by Witkoff to halt the fighting in Gaza. Hamas official Bassem Naiem said Thursday that the terror group felt “screwed over” by the latest peace
offering, a source told the Jerusalem Post. Left unresolved in peace talks is whether the Israel Defense Forces will resume their ground assault in the Gaza Strip at the conclusion of the
cease-fire period. EXPLORE MORE Netanyahu said previously that the IDF would “take over all areas” of Gaza, but admitted that avoiding “a situation of famine” for Palestinian civilians was
essential. “People simply won’t support us,” he said in a video posted on his Telegram page on May 22. “We won’t be able to complete the mission of victory.” Palestinian-American businessman
Bishara Bahbah had been brokering the talks between Hamas and Israel in Doha, Qatar, on behalf of the Trump administration, CNN reported. A previous cease-fire proposal before President
Trump took office resulted in a 42-day truce beginning Jan. 19. That led to the release of 33 Israeli hostages — eight of whom were deceased — and nearly 2,000 Palestinian detainees being
sent back to Gaza.