March 22, 2025 (EIRNS)—Hamas issued a statement on March 21 saying that it is still discussing the proposal put forward by U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff for an extension of the January ceasefire agreement in return for the release of the remaining Israeli hostages. “The Movement affirms that it remains at the heart of the negotiations, is following up responsibly and seriously with its mediating brothers, and is still discussing the Witkoff proposal and the various ideas on the table, with the aim of achieving a prisoner exchange deal that secures the release of prisoners, ends the war, and achieves withdrawal,” Hamas said.
At the same time, an unnamed Palestinian official told Reuters that Egypt also put forward a bridging proposal, but that Hamas had yet to respond. The official declined to provide details of the plan, which he said was under consideration. Two Egyptian security sources said Egypt had suggested setting a timeline for the release of the remaining hostages alongside a deadline for a full Israeli pullout from Gaza with U.S. guarantees.
But the U.S. told the UN Security Council yesterday that Hamas was to blame for the deaths in Gaza since hostilities resumed. “Hamas bears full responsibility for the ongoing war in Gaza and for the resumption of hostilities. Every death would have been avoided had Hamas accepted the bridge proposal that the United States offered last Wednesday,” acting U.S. ambassador Dorothy Shea told the council.
