The Palestinian militant group said its response was positive while emphasising the need for a permanent ceasefire -- long a sticking point for Israel.
Israel on Friday warned Hamas to either accept the deal and free the hostages held in Gaza “or be annihilated”.
“As part of this agreement, 10 living prisoners of the occupation held by the resistance will be released, in addition to the return of 18 bodies, in exchange for an agreed-upon number of Palestinian prisoners,“ it added.
Witkoff said Hamas’s response was “totally unacceptable and only takes us backward”, urging the group to “accept the framework proposal we put forward”.
- Hamas alleges negotiation 'bias' -
He alleged there was a “complete bias” in the negotiating process in favour of Israel, accusing it of disagreeing with “provisions we had agreed upon” earlier with the US envoy.
Israel has balked at that prospect, insisting on the need to destroy the group to prevent a repeat of the October 2023 attack that sparked the war.
“While Israel has agreed to the updated Witkoff framework for the release of our hostages, Hamas continues to cling to its rejectionism,“ Netanyahu’s office said in a statement, adding the group’s reply was “unacceptable and sets the process back”.
A breakthrough in negotiations has been elusive ever since a previous ceasefire fell apart on March 18 with the resumption of Israeli operations.
Two sources close to the negotiations said Witkoff's proposal involved a 60-day truce, potentially extendable to 70 days.
- Gaza 'hungriest place on Earth' -
“After 603 days of war, we wish to remind everyone that war is a means, not an end in itself,“ the main group representing the hostages’ families said in a statement.
Israel has come under increasing international criticism over the dire humanitarian situation in the Palestinian territory, where the United Nations warned in May that the entire population was at risk of famine.
Aid is only trickling into Gaza after the partial lifting by Israel of a more than two-month total blockade, and the UN has recently reported looting of its trucks and warehouses.
The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said on Saturday that at least 4,117 people have been killed in the territory since Israel resumed its offensive on March 18, taking the war's overall toll to 54,381, mostly civilians.
Hamas's attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
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