Israeli official says mediators yet to pass along formal Hamas response to hostage deal proposal

By Nava Freiberg

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31 May 2025, 9:05 pm

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Nava Freiberg is The Times of Israel's deputy diplomatic correspondent.

A formal response from Hamas to US special envoy Steve Witkoff’s hostage and ceasefire proposal “has not yet been received from the mediators,” a senior Israeli official says.

Earlier today, a Hamas official told Reuters that the terror group responded positively to the framework presented earlier this week, but requested certain amendments be made.

An anonymous Israeli official told Israeli reporters earlier that Jerusalem views Hamas’s response to the Witkoff proposal as an “effective rejection,” due to the group’s numerous edits.

A source involved in the talks told The Times of Israel that mediators are still trying to moderate Hamas’s demands for the deal.