Hamas amends US ceasefire proposal.

Hamas, which is fighting Israel, has demanded that the US-sponsored 60-day ceasefire proposal be amended. It has said it is ready to return 10 Israeli hostages alive and 18 hostages dead. But in return, it is demanding the release of some Palestinian prisoners.

Hamas also reiterated its old demands - there should be a permanent ceasefire (complete end to the war), all Israeli forces should withdraw from Gaza and continuous humanitarian aid should be ensured.

These demands are not included in the current ceasefire proposal presented by the US. The BBC reported that Hamas has neither completely rejected the US proposal nor explicitly accepted it.

US officials have said that since Israel has accepted the ceasefire proposal, Hamas must now accept it too. US President Donald Trump's special envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, has said that Hamas should accept the ceasefire proposal unconditionally.

“I have received Hamas’s response to the US proposal. It is completely unacceptable. It will set back the peace process. Hamas must accept our proposal as a basis for negotiations, so that we can start talks next week. This is the only way we can implement the 60-day ceasefire as soon as possible,” Wittkoff said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said it had accepted the US proposal. “Israel has accepted Wittkoff’s proposal for the release of its hostages,” Israel said, “but Hamas remains steadfast in its position.”

Hamas has insisted on a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and a full withdrawal of Israeli forces. Hamas is listed as a terrorist organization by the US, UK and European Union.