Hamas submits response to US ceasefire proposal

GAZA -- Hamas said on Saturday that it submitted its response to the mediators regarding a recent Gaza ceasefire proposal put forward by US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff.

"After conducting a round of national consultations and based on our deep responsibility toward our people and their suffering," Hamas submitted its response to Witkoff's latest proposal to the mediators, it said in a statement.

"Under this agreement, ten living Israeli hostages held by Hamas will be released, in addition to the handover of 18 bodies of hostages, in exchange for an agreed-upon number of Palestinian prisoners," Hamas said.

The proposal aims to achieve a permanent ceasefire, a comprehensive Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, and ensure the flow of aid to the people in the strip, it added.

Basem Naim, a member of Hamas's political bureau, said Thursday in a statement that the movement had received the Israeli response to the US proposal.

According to Naim, the Israeli position fails to address key Palestinian demands, including a complete cessation of hostilities and the lifting of the long-standing blockade on Gaza.