Israel has agreed to a Gaza ceasefire deal proposed by U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, although whether Hamas will consent to the deal remains unclear. The announcement comes amid Israel’s renewed Gaza offensive, as Israel aims to wrest control of the territory away from Hamas before agreeing to a permanent peace. Last Sunday, President Donald Trump told reporters he simply wanted to “stop the fighting” and “bring this whole situation to an end as soon as possible.”

The latest ceasefire proposal from Witkoff would last for 60 days, according to a document viewed by CNN. It would also include the release of 10 living Israeli hostages and the remains of 18 deceased hostages, in exchange for the release of 125 Palestinians serving life sentences and more than 1,100 Gazans arrested during the current war.

However, media reports have differed on the exact number of prisoners and bodies to be exchanged, as well as whether the ceasefire would last for 45 or 60 days. On Monday, Hamas officials briefing Arab media gave different numbers than those included in the U.S. proposal. “What I have seen from Hamas is disappointing and completely unacceptable,” responded Witkoff.

Later in the week, Hamas spokesman Bassem Naim complained that the latest ceasefire framework “does not respond to any of our people’s demands, foremost among which is stopping the war and famine.”

“Nevertheless,” Naim added, “the movement’s leadership is studying, with all national responsibility, a response to the proposal, in light of the genocide to which our people are being subjected,” he added on Facebook. An anonymous Hamas official suggested to The Washington Post that the terrorist organization may respond “with amendments” to the U.S. proposal, to which Israel already agreed.

The food shortages in Gaza, mostly caused by Hamas stealing humanitarian aid shipments for their own fighters, have already been addressed by the U.S. and Israel, said CBN Middle East Bureau Chief Chris Mitchell on “Washington Watch.”

“There’s a humanitarian aid drive right now sponsored by the United States, protected by Israel, where many of the people of Gaza can come and get humanitarian aid separate from Hamas,” Mitchell mentioned. “And what this is doing is weakening their [Hamas’s] control over the population. So, the combination of the humanitarian aid and the military campaign right now and the elimination of much of Hamas’s leadership is really putting a lot of pressure on Hamas.”

“Israel is into its second week of what they call Gideon’s Chariots,” he explained. “They’re coming to control as much as 75% of the Gaza Strip in the next two months. Right now, they control about 40% of the land. And Hamas is really reeling right now.”

“Israel really has an opportunity to finally defeat Hamas,” added Mitchell. “They have a strategy with this Gideon Chariot that seems to be working very well, and Hamas seems to be getting more and more pressured — not only geographically and squeezed into tighter areas, but also the elimination of many of its infrastructure and leaders.”

According to some reports, President Trump tried to dissuade Israel from expanding its Gaza campaign, for fear it would jeopardize negotiations, but the Israeli government already declared that any negotiations would happen “under fire.”

The result has been extraordinary pressure on Hamas, but the terrorist group may not be willing yet to strike a deal, Mitchell explained. “There may be the same sticking points that have been for many months,” he said. “Israel is willing to have a temporary ceasefire, but it doesn’t want to have a permanent ceasefire, which is something Hamas has been asking for from the very beginning, and a withdrawal of all the IDF troops.”

Family Research Council President Tony Perkins expressed skepticism over whether a ceasefire deal that advantaged Israel really served the country’s long-term interest. “This is really the last chance for Israel to eliminate Hamas,” he suggested. “For 18 months, we’ve been in and out, off and on again. And I think every time the criticism of Israel … only intensifies. I don’t think there’s another bite at the apple left.”

Mitchell largely concurred. “It’s so important, not only for the people of Israel to have a safe place, living beside the Gaza Strip, but also internationally — that anything less than a win would give what some people call a tailwind to radical Islam around the world.” He offered a historical comparison to 1945, “What would happen if the U.S. Army stopped on the Rhine River and had a ceasefire with Nazi Germany?”

Yet this is not the only factor weighing on the Israeli government. “Right now, you have to add the hostages, which is quite an emotional topic,” he said, “and many Israelis want to make sure that we just stop the war and get all the hostages” out of Hamas’s clutches. The Israeli people will go to great lengths to recover the hostages, he said.

For now, the ball appears to be in Hamas’s court. “It remains to be seen if they’re willing to have this temporary ceasefire,” said Mitchell, “and give back maybe at least half of the hostages.” With each passing day, IDF forces advance further into Gaza, driving out Hamas, with no intention to retreat from the territory they occupy.