US envoy says Gaza ceasefire deal is on the desk, as Israel prepares for ‘unprecedented assault’

[ad_1] Jerusalem CNN —

US particular envoy Steve Witkoff has instructed CNN {that a} ceasefire-hostage deal for Gaza is at present on the desk with a pathway to finish the battle, and urged Hamas to simply accept it.

The proposal would see the discharge of half of the dwelling hostages and half of those that have died in change for a short lived ceasefire earlier than negotiations start for a complete settlement to finish the battle.

He declined to specify how lengthy that short-term truce would final, which has been a key subject within the negotiations.

“Israel will conform to a short lived ceasefire/hostage deal that might see half of the dwelling and half of the deceased return and result in substantive negotiations to discover a path to a everlasting ceasefire, which I've agreed to preside over,” Witkoff instructed CNN on Monday. “That deal is on the desk. Hamas ought to take it.”

He stated Hamas has but to simply accept the deal.

Reuters reported earlier on Monday that Hamas had agreed to a proposal that might see the discharge of 10 hostages in two teams in change for a 70-day truce. Witkoff instructed CNN that was not his proposal.

“What I've seen is totally unacceptable,” Witkoff stated, referring to the report.

In the meantime, a Palestinian official near the negotiations additionally instructed CNN that Hamas has agreed to Witkoff’s proposal, however didn't present further particulars about what the deal entailed.

A US official instructed CNN Witkoff has not met immediately with Hamas. Based on a supply conversant in the matter, Palestinian-American businessman Bishara Bahbah met with Hamas in Doha concerning the proposal. Bahbah, who led the group “Arab People for Trump” through the 2024 presidential marketing campaign, has been engaged on behalf of the administration.

Witkoff’s feedback to CNN mark the primary time he has stated he would preside over negotiations for an finish to the battle through the short-term ceasefire.

Hamas has lengthy sought assurances that Israel severely engages in negotiations to finish the battle if it agrees to a different short-term ceasefire, after Israel refused to take action over the last truce. Witkoff’s involvement in negotiating a everlasting ceasefire seems to be aimed toward offering Hamas with assurances from Washington that Israel will interact in such negotiations sooner or later.

CNN has reached out to the Israeli authorities for remark.

In a video message posted to social media on Monday night time, Netanyahu stated getting the hostages launched is a high precedence.

“I very a lot hope we’ll have one thing to announce on that entrance,” he stated. “And if not in the present day, then tomorrow – we're not giving up.”

Two Israeli officers later clarified that there was “no progress” within the negotiations for a ceasefire and hostage launch deal and that “Hamas continued to carry agency in its refusal.”

“The prime minister meant {that a} breakthrough may occur provided that Hamas aligns with the Israeli place,” one of many officers stated.

The proposal comes at a vital level within the battle, because the Israeli navy issued evacuation orders for many of southern Gaza forward of what its spokesperson stated could be an “unprecedented assault” on the territory.

The order covers town of Khan Younis and far of the encompassing space, in keeping with Israel Protection Forces (IDF) Arabic language spokesperson Avichay Adree. He described the Khan Younis governorate as a “harmful combating zone that has been warned a number of occasions.”

The evacuation zone goes all the way in which south to the Gaza-Egypt border the place Israeli forces have occupied the Philadelphi Hall, a 14-kilometer (8-mile) strip alongside the frontier. It seems to incorporate the whole lot of Khan Younis, a densely packed metropolis with many displaced Palestinians. The order instructs Palestinians to maneuver to the Al-Mawasi space, a slim strip of land alongside the Mediterranean Sea.

Earlier Monday, the IDF stated three rockets had been fired from southern Gaza, two of which landed inside the Gazan territory and one among which was intercepted.

The order, which additionally cowl elements of jap Gaza, comes after the navy laid out its technique to take management of the territory, the place it has been combating a battle since October 2023 to eradicate Hamas following the militant group’s assault on Israel.

An Israeli navy official instructed CNN on Monday that Israel plans to occupy 75% of Gaza inside two months as a part of its new offensive.

If carried out, the plan would drive greater than two million Palestinians into 1 / 4 of the coastal enclave, surrounded on almost all sides by Israeli forces. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated this month the complete inhabitants could be displaced to southern Gaza .

The IDF now has 5 divisions working in Gaza, the navy stated Friday, totaling tens of hundreds of troops. On a go to to troops in Khan Younis Sunday, IDF Chief of Workers Eyal Zamir stated, “You might be combating on the central entrance of the state of Israel. It is a extended, multi-arena battle.”

On Monday, Hamas’ Authorities Media Workplace stated Israel already “successfully” controls 77% of Gaza by means of “heavy firepower that forestalls Palestinian civilians from accessing their properties, areas, lands, and properties, or by means of oppressive compelled evacuation insurance policies.”

Israel is underneath rising worldwide strain – together with from lengthy standing allies – over its resolution to increase the battle and, within the phrases of 1 Israeli minister, “conquer” the territory.

The UK has paused commerce talks and sanctioned extremist settlers within the West Financial institution. Canada and France have threatened sanctions. And the European Union – Israel’s greatest commerce associate – is reviewing its landmark Affiliation Settlement with the nation.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz instructed German public broadcaster ARD on Monday that the actions of the Israeli navy in Gaza “can now not be justified on the grounds of a struggle in opposition to Hamas terrorism.”

US Homeland Safety Secretary Kristi Noem, nonetheless, reiterated US help for Israel on Sunday.

She met with Netanyahu and expressed appreciation for the prime minister’s conduct of the battle, in keeping with an announcement from the Israeli Authorities Press Workplace.