Hamas states Israel's latest ceasefire proposal ‘set impossible condition’

Hamas has rejected Israel’s latest ceasefire proposal, stating it won't agree to a "partial" deal that doesn’t ensure a complete end to the war or a full Israeli troop withdrawal from Gaza.

Khalil al-Hayya, Hamas’s lead negotiator, criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s offer, saying it imposed unrealistic conditions and failed to secure a permanent end to the conflict.

Currently, 58 hostages taken during Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel remain in Gaza, with 24 still thought to be alive.

Israel’s latest proposal included a 45-day ceasefire and the release of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for 10 hostages, along with plans to negotiate a broader end to the war and restore aid to Gaza.

For the first time, Israel included a demand for Hamas to fully disarm as part of the ceasefire agreement—something the group firmly opposes, the Guardian reported.

Hamas leaders have indicated that giving up their weapons is non-negotiable, claiming it’s their right to maintain arms for self-defence

In a video statement, senior Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya criticized Israel for using partial deals to advance what he described as a broader strategy aimed at continuing the war and worsening conditions for Palestinians. He said Hamas would no longer agree to interim arrangements that, in their view, serve Israel’s political objectives.

Instead, Hamas expressed willingness to support a comprehensive agreement that would involve the release of all hostages in exchange for a mutually agreed number of Palestinian prisoners. One of their key conditions is a total end to hostilities and a full Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.

Earlier this week, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz reaffirmed that Israeli forces planned to remain in the so-called “security buffer zones” they have carved out in Gaza since they broke the ceasefire with Hamas in March.

Israeli troops have recently taken control of roughly 30% of the territory, including parts of Rafah. Since the truce ended, over 1,600 people in Gaza have reportedly been killed, with overnight airstrikes alone claiming the lives of 15 individuals—10 of them from a single family.

Following Hamas’s rejection of the latest ceasefire proposal, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a key figure in Israel’s far-right government, called for an intensified military response, suggesting that it was time to unleash overwhelming force on Gaza.

Earlier in the week, Katz had also warned of a major escalation if Hamas failed to return the remaining hostages.

Efforts by mediators from Egypt, Qatar, and the United States to revive the ceasefire and secure the release of hostages have stalled, with officials saying that the latest talks in Cairo ended without any meaningful progress.

Since March 2, aid shipments—such as food, fuel, and water—have been blocked from entering Gaza. Hamas has accused Israel of deliberately using starvation as a tactic of war, which they claim constitutes a war crime.

Concerns are also growing for the remaining hostages, especially as Israeli airstrikes continue. A spokesperson from Hamas’s armed wing recently claimed they lost contact with the unit holding Edan Alexander, an Israeli-American hostage, after what they described as a direct hit on the site where he was being kept.

Meanwhile, the White House condemned Hamas for turning down the most recent ceasefire proposal from Israel.

U.S. National Security Council spokesperson James Hewitt criticized Hamas, suggesting the group’s recent statements showed a lack of interest in achieving peace and instead a commitment to ongoing violence.

He also reiterated that the position first outlined during the Trump administration remains unchanged—Hamas must release the hostages or face hell.