Hamas reported to reject US truce proposal, will offer own plan instead

Hamas has rejected a US proposal for a Gaza truce and hostage release, and will instead put out its own “roadmap” for ending the war in Gaza, the Wall Street Journal reports, citing mediators.

The paper reports that Hamas’s main issue is that it does not include a reference to ending the war. The group will put out its own proposal instead later this week, based on an earlier proffer, the paper reports.

The earlier offer was for a staged deal in which Israel would release prisoners for some hostages, along with a partial troop withdrawal and unfettered access to northern Gaza for displaced Palestinians, with more hostages to be released later once all troops withdraw.

The broadsheet also quotes an Israeli official saying that Jerusalem was not totally behind the proposal, which it saw as favoring Hamas too much, but was willing to use the offer as the basis for talks.

The official says there is a majority of the Israeli government that will back a deal despite tough concessions.

The paper reports that Israel is open to using the Hamas counterproposal as the basis for “serious negotiations,” so long as the proposal advances efforts, citing the official.