Hamas Responds Positively to New Witkoff Plan
July 5 — Hamas has responded positively to a new proposal from President Donald Trump's Special Envoy Steve Witkoff to end the slaughter of Palestinians by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu in Gaza. The response is expected to set in motion a flurry of diplomatic activity that will put in place a 60-day ceasefire during which 28 hostages, 10 of whom are alive, will be returned in exchange for the release by Israel of Palestinian prisoners, while talks put together a plan that will permanently end the war.
Hamas has “submitted a positive response to the mediators, and the movement is fully prepared to immediately enter into a round of negotiations regarding the mechanism for implementing this framework,” the group said in a statement.
Israel's Tentative Nod and Cabinet Showdown Ahead
Israel had previously accepted the U.S.-sponsored framework, which means the two sides are now expected to enter final, detailed negotiations before a ceasefire agreement is officially reached. It should be pointed out that Israel’s acceptance took the form of a "positive response" to the proposal when it was presented to Bibi confidant and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer in meetings with Witkoff in Washington this week. There has been no official statement on the plan from either Netanyahu or the Israeli government.
Sources report that Netanyahu intends to present the proposal to the Cabinet before he departs for Washington tomorrow. He expects it to pass despite strong objections from far-right ministers Smotrich (Finance) and Ben-Gvir (National Security).
Trump Leverages Proximity to Push Ceasefire
President Trump said that he was pleased with the Hamas response—the first positive response to an American proposal since Trump allowed Bibi to collapse the previous ceasefire/hostage deal in March and resume his genocidal slaughter of Gazans, including the murder of thousands of women and children and the total destruction of entire cities like Rafah, leaving behind a wasteland with more damage than the nuclear bomb attack on Hiroshima, according to experts contacted by Haaretz.
Trump said that if the necessary work is done, the 60-day ceasefire could take effect this week, while Netanyahu is in Washington for talks with Administration officials. Sources say the President wants "to take advantage of him having Bibi close by, so he can prevent him from trying to sabotage any deal." Trump intends to stay fully engaged in the mediated talks that will take place between Israel and Hamas for a final end to the conflict and a transition to a post-Hamas-run Gaza, which will require one of the largest recovery efforts in human history for such a small area, as a result of Israel’s war.
Conditions for Ending the War and Hamas Concessions
One of Bibi's demands to end the war is the termination of Hamas rule in Gaza—a rule Israel and Netanyahu had initially helped establish and fund, via monies passed through Qatar to Hamas leaders, including the notorious Yahya Sinwar, mastermind of the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people (mostly Israeli citizens) and resulted in 252 hostages being taken.
Hamas was also supplied and supported by Iran. In the wake of the so-called 12-day war, Iran finds itself defenseless against Israeli airstrikes and unable to continue supplying either Hamas or Hezbollah with weapons and other resources. Hamas, which reportedly has no real support among Palestinians beyond the force of arms, is ready to yield power. Sources told Haaretz that the group had expressed willingness to cease weapons production and smuggling, stop tunnel construction, and dissolve its military apparatus in Gaza. They added Hamas may agree to the symbolic and temporary deportation of several officials if it leads to an end to the war.
Final Talks, Border Access, and Aid Overhaul on the Table
Despite Trump’s recent praise of Bibi in the wake of the Iran war, both Trump and Envoy Witkoff reportedly understand that it was Netanyahu who repeatedly torpedoed progress toward a Gaza peace deal. It is not simply that he seeks to eliminate Hamas as a military threat—his own intelligence and military sources say that mission was accomplished long ago.
“Bibi is at war with the Palestinian people and possible Palestinian state,” said a source with decades of experience in the region. “What he did in Gaza was drown a possible Palestinian state in blood and destroy Gaza as a livable place for human beings. It is worse than genocide. If he could, he would continue the war. But he realizes now that he must stand for re-election possibly before the end of the year. If he is to have any chance, then he must get the remaining living hostages returned alive. That places him in temporary alignment with Trump, who continues to tell hostage families that his priority is to bring them all home alive. This deal is the last chance for that to happen.”
The hostage families, fearing Bibi's tactics and aware of Hamas’ harsh treatment of captives, have urged Trump to secure the return of all hostages at once. That proved unworkable, as Hamas refused to do so without a locked-in deal that ends the war. Hamas had asked for that assurance, but Israel would not commit. Instead, Qatari mediators secured a Hamas agreement to proceed under guarantees from Trump, Witkoff, and other mediators that Bibi could not restart the war if no final agreement is reached within 60 days. Trump and Witkoff believe a final deal is likely and that this ceasefire may effectively end the war.
According to a source familiar with the negotiations, Israel and Hamas are expected to quickly begin proximity talks—with officials from both sides in the same building, exchanging messages via mediators. These talks could take several days or potentially conclude more swiftly. One key issue will be the timeline for Israeli withdrawal from Gaza during the ceasefire, the source said.
The talks will also address Hamas’ demand for open Gaza borders to allow maximum humanitarian aid to reach starving and wounded civilians. Additionally, Hamas has insisted, according to sources, that the current U.S.-backed aid distribution program led by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) be shut down. The program has reportedly been chaotic and deadly, with nearly a thousand Gazans killed at its distribution sites. Most of the world’s relief agencies back Hamas’ call and support transitioning aid delivery to the United Nations and Red Crescent.