President Donald Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East has dismissed the Hamas terrorist group’s response to a U.S.-backed Gaza Strip cease-fire proposal as “totally unacceptable” and a step backward in efforts to end the war, after the terror group said it wanted to revise key terms of the deal, including the timing of hostage releases and Israeli withdrawals.
In a statement issued on May 31, envoy Steve Witkoff urged Hamas to accept the current framework as the basis for immediate talks that could lead to a 60-day pause in fighting and the return of hostages—both living and dead.
