President Donald Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, issued a statement Friday saying Hamas was making “impractical” demands rather than agreeing to extend a ceasefire in the Gaza war and release hostage Edan Alexander immediately, APA reports citing USA Today.
“President Trump has made it clear that Hamas will either release hostages immediately, or pay a severe price,” Witkoff said.
Witkoff and Eric Trager, the National Security Council’s senior director for the Middle East, presented a “bridge” proposal in Doha, Qatar, on Wednesday to extend a ceasefire beyond Ramadan and Passover to negotiate a permanent ceasefire.
The proposal called for Hamas to release living hostages in exchange for prisoners in accordance with previous formulas, according to Witkoff. The ceasefire would be extended to resume significant humanitarian assistance, he said.
Through Qatari and Egyptian partners, Hamas was told in no uncertain terms that this “bridge” would have to be implemented soon – and that Alexander, a dual U.S.-Israel citizen, would have to be released immediately, Witkoff said.
“Unfortunately, Hamas has chosen to respond by publicly claiming flexibility while privately making demands that are entirely impractical without a permanent ceasefire,” Witkoff said. “Hamas is making a very bad bet that time is on its side. It is not. Hamas is well aware of the deadline, and should know that we will respond accordingly if that deadline passes.”
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