(Reuters) -The head of Hamas in Gaza, Khalil al-Hayya, said in a pre-recorded speech on Thursday the group had not rejected the latest U.S. proposal for a ceasefire with Israel but demanded changes that would secure the end of the war in the enclave.
The group was ready to engage in a new round of ceasefire talks, and communication with mediating countries was ongoing, he added. The latest U.S. proposal was came via President Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff.
“The movement (Hamas) didn’t reject the Witkoff proposal, but we have demanded some remarks and improvement to ensure an end to the war,” Hayya, who is also chief Hamas negotiator, said in a pre-recorded video speech.
Hayya reiterated demands for an end to the war and withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, conditions Israel has rejected.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on May 31, that while his government had agreed to Witkoff’s outline, Hamas was continuing to reject the plan.
The proposal envisages a 60-day truce and the exchange of 28 of the 56 hostages still held in Gaza for more than 1,200 Palestinian prisoners and detainees, along with the entry of humanitarian aid into the enclave.
Hamas says it will only free the remaining hostages if Israel agrees to end the war, while Netanyahu vows war can only end once Hamas is disarmed and eliminated from Gaza.
(Reporting by Nidal Al Mughrabi, Yomna Ehab and Enas Alashray; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
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