Gaza ceasefire seen imminent as Witkoff finalizes Hamas-Israel deal
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told relatives of hostages held in Gaza that he accepts the recent proposal by American envoy Steve Witkoff, which is expected to secure the release of 10 abductees and establish a two-month ceasefire in Gaza.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday told families of Hamas hostages that Israel accepts a new ceasefire proposal presented by US envoy Steve Witkoff, which would involve the release of some hostages held in Gaza in exchange for more than 100 Palestinians serving life sentences in Israel, along with a 60-day truce.
Israel's Channel 12 reported that Netanyahu said Israel accepts the framework, which would include the exchange of 10 living abductees and 18 bodies. However, Netanyahu stressed that he does not believe Hamas will hand over all 58 hostages held in Gaza. "We do not believe that Hamas will release all the hostages until the last one, so we will continue fighting until the group is eliminated, and we will not leave the Strip until we retrieve all the abductees," Channel 12 quoted the prime minister as saying.
On Wednesday, Witkoff expressed optimism about achieving a temporary truce. "I think that we are on the precipice of sending out a new term sheet that hopefully will be delivered later on today,” Witkoff told reporters at the White House. “I have some very good feelings about getting to a long-term resolution — temporary ceasefire."
The Witkoff framework
