Hamas seeks amendments to Gaza ceasefire proposal; US envoy calls it ‘unacceptable’

TEL AVIV, Israel — Hamas is seeking amendments to the latest U.S. ceasefire proposal for Gaza, a senior official with the group told The Associated Press on Saturday, but U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff called the Hamas response “totally unacceptable.”

The latest friction in negotiations comes as the fighting nears 20 months of war, and as desperation grows among Palestinians and relatives of hostages in Gaza.

The Hamas official, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the talks, said proposed amendments focused on “the U.S. guarantees, the timing of hostage release, the delivery of aid and the withdrawal of Israeli forces.” There were no details.

A separate Hamas statement said the proposal aims for a permanent ceasefire, a comprehensive Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and an ensured flow of aid. It said 10 living hostages and the bodies of 18 others would be released “in exchange for an agreed-upon number of Palestinian prisoners.” Fifty-eight hostages remain and Israel believes 35 are dead.

Witkoff on social media instead described a 60-day ceasefire deal that would free half the living hostages in Gaza and return half of those who have died. He urged Hamas to accept the framework proposal as the basis for talks that he said could begin this week.

Israeli officials have approved the U.S. proposal for a temporary ceasefire. President Donald Trump has said negotiators were nearing a deal.

Meanwhile, Palestinians in Gaza blocked and offloaded 77 food trucks, the U.N. World Food Program said. The WFP said the aid, mostly flour, was taken before the trucks could reach their destination.

A witness in the southern city of Khan Younis, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal, told the AP the U.N. convoy was stopped at a makeshift roadblock.

Israel’s military body in charge of aid coordination in Gaza, COGAT, said 579 trucks of aid had entered over the past week. The U.N. has said 600 per day were entering under the previous ceasefire that Israel ended with new bombardment.

The United Nations said earlier this month that Israeli authorities have forced them to use unsecured routes within areas controlled by Israel’s military in the eastern areas of Rafah and Khan Younis, where armed gangs are active and trucks were stopped.

An internal document shared with aid groups about security incidents, seen by the AP, said there were four incidents of facilities being looted in three days at the end of May, not including Saturday’s.

The U.N. says it has been unable to get enough aid in because of fighting.

A new U.S- and Israeli-backed foundation started operations in Gaza last week, distributing food at several sites in a chaotic rollout.

Israel says the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation eventually will replace the aid operation by the U.N. and others. It says the new mechanism is necessary, accusing Hamas of siphoning off large amounts of aid. The U.N. denies that significant diversion takes place.

The GHF works with armed contractors, which it says are needed to distribute food safely. Aid groups have accused the foundation of militarizing aid. The GHF said it distributed 30 truckloads of food on Saturday and called it their largest distribution so far.

Israel continued its military campaign across Gaza, saying it struck dozens of targets over the past day. Gaza’s Hamas-run Health Ministry said at least 60 people were killed by Israeli strikes in 24 hours.

Israel’s military said several projectiles from Gaza fell in open areas.