Israel has signed off on the latest US ceasefire proposal for Gaza before it was sent to Hamas, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said on Thursday.
US president Donald Trump and special envoy Steve Witkoff submitted the proposal to Hamas after Israel signed off on it, she said.
“I can also confirm that those discussions are continuing, and we hope that a ceasefire in Gaza will take place so we can return all of the hostages home,” Ms Leavitt said at a briefing.
Asked if Hamas had accepted the proposal, she said, “Not to my knowledge.”
Elon Musk leaves Trump’s club, yet he was never quite part of it
Exhibitions open in Damascus remembering suffering and sacrifice under Syrian regime
Communist Party membership shares the qualities of LinkedIn and the Legion of Mary
Pub takes centre stage in presidential race as Polish voters go for another round
The US plan for Gaza seen by Reuters on Friday proposes a 60-day ceasefire and the release of 28 Israeli hostages alive and dead in the first week and the release of 125 Palestinian prisoners sentenced to life and the remains of 180 dead Palestinians.
The plan, which says it is guaranteed by Mr Trump and mediators Egypt and Qatar, includes sending aid to Gaza as soon as Hamas signs off on the ceasefire agreement.
The plan stipulates that Hamas will release the last 30 hostages once a permanent ceasefire is in place.
Hamas has said the new Israeli-backed US ceasefire plan would not put an end to the war or the Israeli blockade of Gaza, although it is studying the proposal “with all national responsibility”.
Bassem Naim, a top Hamas official, told the Associated Press that Israel’s response “means perpetuating the occupation and continuing the killing and famine”.
He said it “does not respond to any of our people’s demands, foremost among which is stopping the war and famine”.
Hamas told Reuters it will respond to the plan on Friday or Saturday.
Earlier, Israeli media reported that prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu has told families of hostages held in Gaza that Israel has accepted a new ceasefire proposal presented by Mr Witkoff.
Channel 12, Kann, I24 and Haaretz were among the Israeli media outlets that reported the claim.
Mr Netanyahu’s office later issued a statement calling Channel 12 a “propaganda channel” and accused one of its reporters of trying to “smuggle” a recording device into the prime minister’s office in advance of his meeting families of hostages.
The statement did not issue a direct denial of the reports.
There was no immediate response from Channel 12.
A Palestinian official familiar with the mediation efforts told Reuters “the discussions are continuing with the mediators and Hamas hasn’t handed its response yet.”
Deep differences between Hamas and Israel have stymied previous attempts to restore a ceasefire that broke down in March.
Israel has insisted that Hamas disarm completely and be dismantled as a military and governing force and that all 58 hostages still held in Gaza must be returned before it will agree to end the war.
Hamas has rejected the demand to give up its weapons and says Israel must pull its troops out of Gaza and commit to ending the war.
Israel launched its campaign in Gaza in response to the devastating Hamas attack in southern Israel on October 7th, 2023, that killed some 1,200 people and saw 251 Israelis taken hostage into Gaza, according to Israeli tallies.
The subsequent Israeli military campaign has killed more than 54,000 Palestinians, Gaza health officials say, and left the enclave in ruins. – Agencies
