Trump envoy says negotiators 'on precipice' of major Gaza ceasefire breakthrough
Steve Witkoff says US president to review proposal after it is delivered later Wednesday
ċċċċċ�WASHINGTON
Negotiators are close to reaching a deal that could end Israel's year-and-a-half war on the besieged Gaza Strip, US President Donald Trump's special envoy said Wednesday
"We are on the precipice of sending out a new term sheet that hopefully will be delivered later on today," Steve Witkoff told reporters at the White House. "I have some very good feelings about getting to a long-term resolution, temporary ceasefire, and a long-term resolution, a peaceful resolution of that conflict."
Witkoff said Trump would be reviewing the proposal after it is delivered.
Hamas said earlier Wednesday that it reached an agreement with Witkoff on a general framework for a permanent ceasefire, a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and the unhindered entry of humanitarian aid.
The agreement also includes “the establishment of a professional committee to manage Gaza affairs once a ceasefire is declared,” said the group.
Under the terms of the deal, Hamas said it would release 10 living Israeli hostages and the remains of several others in exchange for a mutually agreed number of Palestinian prisoners under guarantees from mediators.
Witkoff's comments mark the first official response from the US, which along with Qatar and Egypt, has been mediating ceasefire talks.
Israel estimates that 58 hostages remain in Gaza, including 20 believed to be alive. Meanwhile, more than 10,100 Palestinians are held in Israeli prisons under harsh conditions, including reports of torture, starvation, and medical neglect, according to Palestinian and Israeli rights groups.
The Israeli opposition and families of hostages have accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of prolonging the war to appease his far-right coalition partners and maintain power.
The Israeli army, rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, has pursued a brutal offensive against Gaza since October 2023, killing more than 54,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children. The war began after a Hamas-led cross-border raid resulted in the deaths of less than 1,200 people in Israel.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant, for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war crimes against civilians in the enclave.
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