President Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff said he received a response to the hostage proposal from the Palestinian militant group Hamas, slamming it as “totally unacceptable” and arguing that it will “only” take all sides involved “backward.” 

“Hamas should accept the framework proposal we put forward as the basis for proximity talks, which we can begin immediately this coming week,” Witkoff, who has been Trump’s point person in high-level diplomatic discussions in Russia and the Gulf, said in a Saturday statement on X. 

Witkoff sent over the proposal, which was approved by Israel, on Thursday. The framework included having Hamas, designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. government, release 10 living Israeli hostages along with 18 bodies from the Gaza Strip in exchange for a 60-day truce. 

Hamas received the proposal and was reviewing it on Friday and Saturday. The militant group then later on Saturday responded to the proposal, saying it is looking for a permanent ceasefire, guaranteed procurement of humanitarian aid to the Palestinians in the war-torn enclave and “a comprehensive withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.” 

Hamas also added that 10 living Israeli hostages and 19 bodies will be exchanged for a number of Palestinian prisoners that would have to be agreed upon by all sides. 

Witkoff said on Saturday that his proposal is the “only way we can close a 60-day ceasefire deal in the coming days in which half of the living hostages and half of those who are deceased will come home to their families and in which we can have at the proximity talks substantive negotiations in good-faith to try to reach a permanent ceasefire.”

Israeli foreign minister Gideon Sa’ar said on Saturday that Hamas launched the terrorist attack on southern Israel, killing around 1,200 Israelis and taking some 250 hostages and that the militant group is “responsible for its continuation by refusing to release our hostages and disarm.” 

“If France and the UK want to reach a ceasefire – pressure should be put on Hamas that continues to say No, instead of attacking Israel, which says Yes,” Sa’ar wrote on Saturday. 

Trump stated on Friday that Hamas and Israel were “very close” to reaching a ceasefire agreement that would at least temporarily halt the nearly 20-month war in the enclave. 

Hamas also said that it was looking to amend the Israeli-backed proposal, specifically predicated on “U.S. guarantees, the timing of hostage release, the delivery of aid and the withdrawal of Israeli forces,” according to the militant’s senior official who spoke to The Associated Press.