On May 26, local time, Stevie Witkoff, the U.S. Special Envoy for the Middle East, told Axios news, “The performance of the Hamas [ Hamas ] has disappointed me and is totally unacceptable,” he said, denying claims by Hamas officials that they had accepted his Gaza cease-fire.
Witkov also said that Israel is ready to agree to a temporary ceasefire to allow half of the detainees alive and half of the remains to return to Israel, “And engage in substantive negotiations to find a permanent ceasefire, and I agree to lead those negotiations.”
In a separate CNN reported by CNN, Witkov said the Israelis would agree to release some of the detainees in exchange for a temporary ceasefire before beginning negotiations on a comprehensive ceasefire. Witkov urged Hamas to accept the proposal as well. The report also said that Witkov refused to say how long the temporary cease-fire will last, which has been a key issue in the negotiations.
In addition, according to the Al Jazeera reported on the 26th, an Israeli official said that “This is not true” regarding Hamas’s acceptance of the Witkoff cease-fire proposal. The official said that negotiations are still ongoing, the Israeli side has not agreed to anything, and do not know that Hamas agreed to anything.
Earlier in the day, a Hamas official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Hamas had agreed to a Gaza cease-fire proposed by the US Special Envoy for the Middle East. The package includes the release of 10 detainees by Hamas in exchange for a 70-day ceasefire and a partial withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip, Reuters reported. The programme also includes the release by Israel of some Palestinian detainees.