Hamas says it hasn’t rejected ceasefire deal as Witkoff slams response as ‘unacceptable’

By Ibrahim Dahman, Abeer Salman, Lauren Izso and Catherine Nicholls, CNN

(CNN) — Hamas on Saturday said that it has responded to a Gaza ceasefire plan put forward by the US, repeating its call for an end to the war, in a move the US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff called “totally unacceptable.”

In a statement, Hamas said that its “proposal” to the mediators – Qatar and Egypt — “aims to achieve a permanent ceasefire, a comprehensive withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, and ensure the flow of aid to our people and our families in the Gaza Strip.”

“As part of this agreement, 10 living Israeli prisoners 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,” the statement said.

A source familiar with the n