Flash! May 30—Late this morning, the Hamas leadership announced that it found the terms of the Witkoff Plan, as accepted by Israel, unacceptable because it failed to have in it a written guarantee that it would lead to a permanent end to the war. The Plan, said a spokesperson, does not meet the "legitimate needs of the Palestinian people [of Gaza]." Hamas, once again revealed its indifference to the conditions on the ground in Gaza, which conditions of death and starvation were created by the excuse given Netanyahu's murderers, in the design of the murderous assault by Hamas on mostly innocent Israelis, including women and children, Oct. 7, 2023.
May 30—As of early this morning, Hamas leadership had still not decided whether to accept the new ceasefire and hostage deal framework proposed by President Donald Trump's Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and reluctantly accepted by Israel, despite reports suggesting otherwise.
Hamas, despite having its back against the wall, has a history of rejecting proposals that could have prevented Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu from launching renewed military campaigns of genocide in Gaza. "Now they have a chance to throw a giant monkey wrench into Bibi's 'Operation Gideon's Chariots' as the war of slaughter is called," said a source familiar with the ceasefire talks. "And they had better take it. It may be the last chance to set in motion something that might save Gaza and end the reign of this murderer, Bibi."
The Witkoff proposal, detailed in Haaretz, removes Netanyahu’s stated pretext for refusing negotiations until all hostages are released. It immediately halts Israeli offensive operations, establishes a 60-day ceasefire, secures the release of 10 living hostages and 19 dead ones in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, and opens border access for humanitarian aid. The UN and Red Crescent would oversee distribution efforts, effectively ending the controlled starvation campaign administered through the mysterious Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.
Trump’s Role as Guarantor
Beyond the immediate ceasefire terms, the proposal places President Donald Trump at the center of ensuring a lasting peace agreement, a postwar and post-Hamas Gaza, and a full hostage release with no Israel Defense Force (IDF) presence by the process’s end. "The one person who might have a chance of controlling that mad, vicious dog Bibi is given that job," said a source.
Hamas sees no written guarantees that the war will ultimately end. They had sought submission of a UN resolution committing to sanctions against Israel if Netanyahu failed to uphold the terms. However, skepticism remains over whether the UN—especially the Security Council—would act. "But who in their right mind would rely on the United Nations," said a source, "rather than place yourself in the hands of this President of the United States, Donald Trump?"
Haaretz: 'Agreement Now'
The deal’s success could end Netanyahu’s tenure as Prime Minister, while his legal cases should lead to a jail cell prepared for him.
"On Thursday [May 29] Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told families of the hostages that Israel had agreed to Witkoff's plan," wrote Haaretz in its May 30 editorial.
"It's good he said that. We can only hope that the agreement is real and not the kind that turns out to be another of his cynical calculations ending in bitter disappointment...
"Time is rapidly running out for the 58 hostages, 20 of them living, and for the hundreds of thousands of displaced, starving, disabled, and orphaned people in Gaza. This is the time for great, courageous decisions.
"Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich quickly pledged that he 'wouldn't allow such a thing to happen,' and the danger to the safety of Netanyahu's coalition is clear. But Israel can no longer proceed under the extortion of warmongers on the right and advocates of killing and transfer.
"Most Israelis, most of the world, and history, too, will not forgive Netanyahu if he continues to abandon the hostages and Gaza Strip residents to a brutal fate. The world is already showing signs of taking action against Israel. After 20 months, all excuses have run out. Groundless, imaginary goals should no longer be at stake now. Instead, Israel must embark on a supremely important rescue mission: saving all the hostages and stopping the suffering and killing in Gaza.
"We must hope that what Netanyahu told the hostage families will meet the reality test. We must also hope that Israel's approval will be met with agreement by Hamas. The time has arrived to put an end to the cycle of violence and bloodshed of the past year and a half.
"Israel must adopt Witkoff's proposal without delay, at any cost, due to the urgency of the hour. The time of the warmongers and dreamers of distorted visions of settlements and occupation in Gaza is up, and the time of Gaza's suffering must also end. Agreement now; yesterday, today, not tomorrow."