US envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff met Saturday in Ibiza, Spain, with Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani to discuss a plan for ending the war in exchange for the release of all hostages held by the Hamas terror group.
According to the report, the developing proposal includes a full Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, the release of all hostages, the disarmament of terrorist organizations, the expulsion of senior Hamas officials abroad, and the establishment of a professional government under the supervision of a police force.
An Israeli official familiar with the deals of the negotiations stated that while it is possible for the US and Israel to reach a plan to end the war, such a plan would not be acceptable to Hamas and therefore would be meaningless.
“Our war is with Hamas, not with the US,” the official explained, according to Channel 12 News. “The gap between us and Hamas regarding the end of the war is vast, and therefore discussions about a comprehensive deal are futile at this stage.”
Last week, during Witkoff’s visit to Israel, he stated that Hamas is prepared to disarm as part of a ceasefire agreement.
In response, Hamas issued a statement denying Witkoff’s claim and emphasizing that “the resistance and its weapons are a national and legal obligation as long as the occupation continues.”
According to Hamas, armed resistance is a right “enshrined in international conventions and custom, and it cannot be relinquished until all our national rights are restored, foremost among them the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with full sovereignty, with Jerusalem (al-Quds) as its capital.”
Hamas leaders have previously expressed willingness to “dismantle” the al-Qassam Brigades only upon the establishment of a Palestinian state, at which point they would be incorporated into the Palestinian army.
