Hamas said it sought a permanent ceasefire and a withdrawal of the Israeli military, prompting a rebuke from Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump’s special envoy.

The latest friction in negotiations comes as the fighting nears 20 months of war, and as desperation grows among hungry Palestinians and relatives of hostages in Gaza.

It is seen as neither an explicit rejection nor a clear acceptance of a US truce plan, which Washington says Israel has agreed to.