Overview

• Hamas submitted its May 31 reply agreeing to free 10 live Israeli hostages and return 18 bodies in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
• US envoy Steve Witkoff and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu both called Hamas’s response “completely unacceptable,” saying it set talks back.
• The Hamas counterproposal links the swap to a permanent ceasefire, full Israeli withdrawal and unhindered delivery of food and medicine.
• Israeli military operations have intensified across Gaza, including strikes near aid distribution points that killed at least 22 Palestinians and worsened shortages.
• Qatar and Egypt, working with the United States, have pledged to intensify mediation efforts as ceasefire discussions remain deadlocked.