Israel agrees to Trump-backed ceasefire proposal to free Gaza hostages: White House

The White House on Thursday confirmed that Israel agreed to a ceasefire proposal submitted by Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump in a move to return the 58 hostages who have been held in Gaza for more than 600 days. 

"Israel signed off on this proposal before it was sent to Hamas," White House press secretary Karoline Levitt told reporters. "I can also confirm that those discussions are continuing, and we hope that a ceasefire in Gaza will take place so we can return all of the hostages home."

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Levitt would not comment further on the details of the proposal, and Hamas does not yet appear to have agreed to the proposal.

State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce told reporters Thursday there is a sense of "important optimism" but confirmed the Hamas position is "unknown at this point."

A statement released on Wednesday by the terrorist organization said, "The latest of these efforts was reaching an agreement with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff on a general framework, which achieves a permanent ceasefire, a complete withdrawal of occupation forces from the Gaza Strip, the flow of humanitarian aid, and the formation of a professional committee to manage the affairs of Gaza upon the announcement of the agreement."

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Hamas also claimed the most recent proposal it had reviewed included the release of 10 Israeli hostages as well as "a number of bodies" in exchange for an unconfirmed number of Palestinian prisoners. 

It is unclear if these details were also included in the proposal agreed to by Israel. 

Following the release of Edan Alexander, the final American-Israeli hostage still alive in Hamas captivity this month, 58 hostages remain.

An estimated 24 of the hostages are assessed to be alive, though Israeli reporting has suggested this number could be less. 

The bodies of four American Israelis taken on Oct. 7, 2023, continue to be held captive, including Itay Chen, Omer Neutra, Gadi Haggai and Judi Weinstein Haggai.

Yonat Frilling contributed to this report.