UPDATE - Hamas denies rejecting US envoy’s proposal for Gaza ceasefire

UPDATES WITH MORE DETAILS

By Betul Yilmaz

ISTANBUL (AA) - The Palestinian resistance group Hamas on Sunday denied rejecting US envoy Steve Witkoff’s proposal for a Gaza ceasefire, accusing Israel of undermining negotiations to end the war in the enclave.

“We agreed with Mr. Witkov last week on a proposal that he considered acceptable as a proposal for negotiation. We received the other party's response, which did not agree with any of the items we agreed upon and did not meet the minimum requirements of our people,” senior Hamas member Basem Naim said in a statement.

He said Hamas responded “positively and responsibly” to Witkoff’s proposal to ensure Israel’s respect for a 60-day ceasefire and the entry of humanitarian aid.

“We also sought to ensure that the negotiations would lead to an end to the war and withdrawal of Israeli forces,” Naim added.

The Hamas leader said Israel has refused to give guarantees to ensure respect for the 60-day ceasefire and access to humanitarian aid.

Naim said Israel “wants to negotiate the withdrawal maps agreed upon on Jan. 19 based on the occupation's new military presence.”

“(Israel refuses) to give guarantees that the war will cease and that enemy forces will withdraw at the end of the negotiations,” he added.

Rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, Israel has pursued a devastating offensive in Gaza since October 2023, killing over 54,400 Palestinians, most of them women and children. Aid agencies have warned about the risk of famine among the enclave's more than 2 million population.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war crimes against civilians in the enclave.