Demonstrators participated in a protest calling for the end of the war and the immediate release of Hamas' hostages in the Gaza Strip, as well as the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against the Prime Minister on Saturday, May 31, 2025. Ariel Schalit/AP Closed subtitles
Tel Aviv, Israel - Hamas is seeking amendments to the latest ceasefire proposal in U.S. Gaza, the group told the Associated Press on Saturday, but U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff called Hamas' response "totally unacceptable."
The latest friction in negotiations is as the battle approaches 20 months of war, as hungry Palestinians and Gaza hostage relatives grow more desperately.
Hamas officials spoke on condition of anonymity, due to the sensitivity of negotiations, he said the proposed amendment focused on “the United States guarantees, the timing of hostage release, the delivery of aid and the withdrawal of Israeli forces.” No details.
Another statement from Hamas said the proposal aims to be a permanent ceasefire, Israel's full withdrawal from Gaza and secure aid. It said that 10 living hostages and 18 other bodies would be "in exchange for an agreed agreement by the Palestinian prisoner". There are 58 hostages left, and Israel believes that 35 people are dead.
Witkoff on social media described a 60-day ceasefire deal that would release half of Gaza's hostages and return half of the dead hostages. He urged Hamas to accept the framework proposal as the basis for the talks he said could begin next week.
Israeli officials have approved the U.S. proposal for a temporary ceasefire. U.S. President Donald Trump said negotiators are about to reach a deal.
People participated in a protest demanding the end of the war and the immediate release of hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, as well as the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government in Tel Aviv on Saturday, May 31, 2025. Ariel Schalit/AP Closed subtitles
Bassem Naim, a top Hamas official, accused Israel of disagreeing with the agreed provisions and accused "totally biased the other party", saying it violated the fairness of mediation.
"We hope the bloodshed will stop," Motasim, a man from the Al-Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza, said of the talks. "I swear to God we are tired."
The UN World Food Program said Palestinians in Gaza blocked and unloaded 77 food trucks, and hunger grew as Israeli blockade on the territory for months. WFP said most of the aid was flour and was taken before the truck arrived at its destination.
Witnesses in the southern city of Khan Younis spoke without fear of retaliation, told the Associated Press that the UN convoy stopped at a temporary obstacle and were downloaded by desperate civilians among thousands of desperate civilians.
Gaza's nearly three-month lockdown has pushed more than 2 million people to the brink of famine. While Israel has allowed some aid to enter in recent days, AIDS groups say stay away from enough aid has entered.
Israeli military agencies in Kogata Gaza said 579 aid trucks entered in the past week. The United Nations has said that when Israel ended with a new bombing, 600 people entered every day under the last ceasefire.
WFP said the fear of hunger in Gaza is high. "In the next few days, we need to flood the community with food to calm the anxiety disorder," it said in a statement. It added that it has more than 140,000 metric tons of food (enough to feed two months of food) ready to be brought in.
The United Nations said earlier this month that Israeli authorities forced them to use unsecured routes in areas controlled by Rafah and Khan Younis in eastern control, where armed gangs were active and stopped trucks.
Internal documents seen by the Associated Press about security incidents shared information about the security incident with aid groups, he said four incidents of robbery in three days in late May, not including Saturday.
The United Nations said it was not possible to obtain sufficient assistance due to the fight.
New U.S. and Israel-backed foundations are starting operations in Gaza this week, distributing food at multiple locations amid a chaotic launch.
Israel said the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation will eventually replace the United Nations and others' aid operations. It said the new mechanism was necessary, accusing Hamas of siphoning a massive aid. The United Nations denies a major shift.
A young Palestinian is waiting to collect donated food in a food distribution kitchen in Deir Al-Balah, Gaza Strip on Friday, May 30, 2025. Abdel Kareem Hana/AP Closed subtitles
GHF cooperates with armed contractors, which says it needs to distribute food safely. Aid groups accuse basic militarized aid. GHF said it distributed 30 trucks of food on Saturday, calling it the largest distribution to date.
Israel continues its military campaign in Gaza that is spread all over Gaza, saying it has achieved dozens of goals in the past day. Gaza's Ministry of Health said at least 60 people were killed on strike in the past 24 hours.
The ministry said three people were killed in Rafa earlier Saturday and were shot and killed by Israeli guns. Three other people were killed when their car crashed in Gaza city - parents and a child. Israeli strikes crashed into another car in Gaza city and killed four. Nasser Hospital spokesman Waim Fay Price said an Israeli strike attacked a tent in Khan Yunis, killing six people and killing six people.
Israeli troops said some projectiles from Gaza fell in an empty area.
The war began when Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and hijacking 250 hostages.
According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, the Israeli strike has killed more than 54,000 Gaza residents, mainly women and children, and the ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.
A group of relatives of the hostages once again pleaded for a comprehensive ceasefire agreement that would immediately release everyone, saying the remaining hostages “will be unable to survive ongoing military pressure.”