Hamas on Thursday publicly rejected Israel’s latest proposal for a temporary ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, insisting it would not agree to any truce that falls short of ending the war and securing a full IDF withdrawal from the enclave.

The terrorist group confirmed it had delivered a written response to international mediators turning down the 45-day ceasefire plan presented by Israel. According to Hamas, the proposal included the release of 10 living hostages, the freeing of 1,231 Palestinian security prisoners, and expanded humanitarian aid into Gaza. Crucially, it also demanded that Hamas begin disarming — a condition the group has repeatedly refused.

Khalil al-Hayya, a senior Hamas leader and its chief negotiator, speaking from outside Gaza in a televised address, accused Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu of pushing “partial deals” and imposing “impossible conditions.” He asserted that Israel had walked back the January ceasefire agreement and challenged mediators to “correct the crisis Israel created.”

Al-Hayya reiterated that Hamas remains open to negotiating a complete exchange: all remaining hostages for an agreed number of Palestinian prisoners, but only in the context of a deal that would definitively end the war.

The U.S. responded: “Hamas’s comments demonstrate they are not interested in peace but perpetual violence,” said National Security Council spokesman James Hewitt. “The terms made by the Trump administration have not changed: release the hostages or face hell.”

Israel and Hamas had agreed in January to a phased ceasefire, but the plan unraveled after its first stage. While Hamas pushed to move forward with the second phase — which included a permanent ceasefire — Israel sought to renegotiate the terms to gain further hostage releases without formally ending its military campaign in Gaza. The deadlock led to the resumption of Israeli military operations on March 18.

Prime Minister Netanyahu has consistently vowed that the war will not end until Hamas’s military and governing capabilities are fully dismantled. Many of his coalition partners, including hardline figures like Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, have warned against any compromise – if Netanyahu bends, his government would likely collapse.

Public opinion in Israel, however, appears to be shifting. Recent polls indicate that a majority of Israelis would support ending the war in exchange for the release of all hostages — a position increasingly at odds with the current government.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)