Jerusalem
CNN
—
US special envoy Steve Witkoff has told CNN that a ceasefire-hostage deal for Gaza is currently on the table with a pathway to end the war, and urged Hamas to accept it.
The proposal would see the release of half of the living hostages and half of those who have died in exchange for a temporary ceasefire before negotiations begin for a comprehensive agreement to end the war.
He declined to specify how long that temporary truce would last, which has been a key issue in the negotiations.
“Israel will agree to a temporary ceasefire/hostage deal that would see half of the living and half of the deceased return and lead to substantive negotiations to find a path to a permanent ceasefire, which I have agreed to preside over,” Witkoff told CNN on Monday. “That deal is on the table. Hamas should take it.”
He said Hamas has yet to accept the deal.
Witkoff’s comments to CNN mark the first time he has said he would preside over negotiations for an end to the war during the temporary ceasefire.
Hamas has long sought assurances that Israel seriously engages in negotiations to end the war if it agrees to another temporary ceasefire, after Israel refused to do so during the last truce. Witkoff’s involvement in negotiating a permanent ceasefire appears to be aimed at providing Hamas with assurances from Washington that Israel will engage in such negotiations in the future.
Reuters reported earlier on Monday that Hamas had agreed to a proposal that would see the of 10 hostages in two groups in exchange for a 70-day truce. Witkoff told CNN that was not his proposal.
“What I have seen is completely unacceptable,” Witkoff said, referring to the report.
Meanwhile, a Palestinian official close to the negotiations also told CNN that Hamas has agreed to Witkoff’s proposal, but did not provide additional details about what the deal entailed.
CNN has reached out to the Israeli government for comment.