JERUSALEM — US special envoy Steve Witkoff has told CNN that a ceasefire-hostage deal for Gaza is currently on the table with a pathway to end the war, and urged Hamas to accept it.

The proposal would see the release of half of the living hostages and half of those who have died in exchange for a temporary ceasefire before negotiations begin for a comprehensive agreement to end the war.

He declined to specify how long that temporary truce would last, which has been a key issue in the negotiations.

“Israel will agree to a temporary ceasefire/hostage deal that would see half of the living and half of the deceased return and lead to substantive negotiations to find a path to a permanent ceasefire, which I have agreed to preside over,” Witkoff told CNN on Monday. “That deal is on the table. Hamas should take it.”

He said Hamas has yet to accept the deal.

Reuters reported earlier on Monday that Hamas had agreed to a proposal that would see the release of 10 hostages in two groups in exchange for a 70-day truce. Witkoff told CNN that was not his proposal.

“What I have seen is completely unacceptable,” Witkoff said, referring to the report.

Meanwhile, a Palestinian official close to the negotiations also told CNN that Hamas has agreed to Witkoff’s proposal, but did not provide additional details about what the deal entailed.

A US official told CNN Witkoff has not met directly with Hamas. According to a source familiar with the matter, Palestinian-American businessman Bishara Bahbah met with Hamas in Doha about the proposal. Bahbah, who led the group “Arab Americans for Trump” during the 2024 presidential campaign, has been working on behalf of the administration.

Witkoff’s comments to CNN mark the first time he has said he would preside over negotiations for an end to the war during the temporary ceasefire.

Hamas has long sought assurances that Israel seriously engages in negotiations to end the war if it agrees to another temporary ceasefire, after Israel refused to do so during the last truce. Witkoff’s involvement in negotiating a permanent ceasefire appears to be aimed at providing Hamas with assurances from Washington that Israel will engage in such negotiations in the future.

CNN has reached out to the Israeli government for comment.

In a video message posted to social media on Monday night, Netanyahu said getting the hostages released is a top priority.

“I very much hope we’ll have something to announce on that front,” he said. “And if not today, then tomorrow – we are not giving up.”

Two Israeli officials later clarified that there was “no progress” in the negotiations for a ceasefire and hostage release deal and that “Hamas continued to hold firm in its refusal.”

“The prime minister meant that a breakthrough could happen only if Hamas aligns with the Israeli position,” one of the officials said.

The proposal comes at a crucial point in the war, as the Israeli military issued evacuation orders for most of southern Gaza ahead of what its spokesperson said would be an “unprecedented attack” on the territory.

The order covers the city of Khan Younis and much of the surrounding area, according to Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Arabic language spokesperson Avichay Adree. He described the Khan Younis governorate as a “dangerous fighting zone that has been warned several times.”

The evacuation zone goes all the way south to the Gaza-Egypt border where Israeli forces have occupied the Philadelphi Corridor, a 14-kilometer (8-mile) strip along the frontier. It appears to include the entirety of Khan Younis, a densely packed city with many displaced Palestinians. The order instructs Palestinians to move to the Al-Mawasi area, a narrow strip of land along the Mediterranean Sea.

Earlier Monday, the IDF said three rockets were fired from southern Gaza, two of which landed within the Gazan territory and one of which was intercepted.

The order, which also cover parts of eastern Gaza, comes after the military laid out its strategy to take control of the territory, where it has been fighting a war since October 2023 to eradicate Hamas following the militant group’s attack on Israel.

An Israeli military official told CNN on Monday that Israel plans to occupy 75% of Gaza within two months as part of its new offensive.

If carried out, the plan would force more than two million Palestinians into a quarter of the coastal enclave, surrounded on nearly all sides by Israeli forces. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said this month the entire population would be displaced to southern Gaza.

The IDF now has five divisions operating in Gaza, the military said Friday, totaling tens of thousands of troops. On a visit to troops in Khan Younis Sunday, IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir said, “You are fighting on the central front of the state of Israel. This is a prolonged, multi-arena war.”

On Monday, Hamas’ Government Media Office said Israel already “effectively” controls 77% of Gaza through “heavy firepower that prevents Palestinian civilians from accessing their homes, areas, lands, and properties, or through oppressive forced evacuation policies.”

Israel is under growing international pressure – including from long standing allies – over its decision to expand the war and, in the words of one Israeli minister, “conquer” the territory.

The United Kingdom has paused trade talks and sanctioned extremist settlers in the West Bank. Canada and France have threatened sanctions. And the European Union – Israel’s biggest trade partner – is reviewing its landmark Association Agreement with the country.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz told German public broadcaster ARD on Monday that the actions of the Israeli military in Gaza “can no longer be justified on the grounds of a fight against Hamas terrorism.”

US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, however, reiterated US support for Israel on Sunday.

She met with Netanyahu and expressed appreciation for the prime minister’s conduct of the war, according to a statement from the Israeli Government Press Office. — CNN