White House envoy sends new proposal to Hamas through Israeli peace activist

Driving the news: On Friday, President Trump said the U.S. is "in deep negotiations with Hamas" on a Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal.

• He stressed the U.S. message to Hamas is: "If you immediately release the hostages, good things are going to happen, but if you don't — it is going to be tough and nasty for you."
• Trump comments came as the Israeli military began flattening high-rise buildings in Gaza City that it claims are used by Hamas for military purposes.
• It marked the first major phase in Israel's new offensive to occupy Gaza City, which the government says is aimed at rooting out Hamas. The operation — backed by Trump — is expected to escalate in the coming days.

Zoom in: The new proposal includes the release of all 48 remaining hostages in exchange for a ceasefire and the end of the Israeli operation to occupy Gaza, according to a senior Israeli official familiar with the details.

• In addition, Israel will release 2500-3000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees held in its prisons, including hundreds serving life sentences for killing Israelis.

• According to the proposal, once the ceasefire is declared, negotiations would immediately begin on the conditions for ending the war — including Israel's demands for Hamas' disarmament and Hamas' demand for a final and complete withdrawal of the IDF from the Gaza Strip, the Israeli official said.
• The proposal emphasized that if Hamas responds positively to the initiative, Trump would actively work to end the war, and the ceasefire would continue as long as negotiations on the terms for the war's end are ongoing.
• The Israeli official said the proposal to Hamas included a message that if the organization does not accept the initiative, the alternative would be very bad: a large-scale Israeli operation in Gaza.

Behind the scenes: Last Sunday, Witkoff played golf with Trump and discussed the situation around the Gaza war.

• Two sources with knowledge of the meeting said Trump instructed Witkoff to give a renewed push to reach a deal to end the war and release all remaining hostages.
• Witkoff then asked Palestinian-American businessman Bishara Bahbah, who has been a back channel to Hamas in recent months, to tell the group that if they release all the hostages, Trump will make sure the war ends.
• Bahbah delivered the message to Hamas and came back to Witkoff later in the week with a message from Hamas expressing willingness to go for a comprehensive deal.
• Hamas stressed in the message that the release of hostages must take place simultaneously with a declaration of a permanent ceasefire and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, a source with knowledge said.

In addition to Bahbah, Witkoff also established a new back channel to Hamas through Israeli peace activist Gershon Baskin.

• Two sources said Witkoff asked Baskin to convey to Hamas general principles for a comprehensive ceasefire deal.
• A senior Israeli official claimed that Witkoff sent his proposal through Baskin without first informing the Qatari and Egyptian mediators. Only after he had delivered the proposal through Baskin did Witkoff pass it to the official mediators.
• It is not entirely clear to what extent Witkoff informed Israel in advance about the new proposal. Israel also learned about Witkoff's messages to Hamas through Baskin by its own independent means.
• Baskin declined to comment. The White House didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

Flashback: Baskin, 69, was born in New York City and moved to Israel in 1978, where he worked for a civil society organization focused on resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

• He has been in contact for many years with Hamas official Ghazi Hamad. The Israeli intelligence services have used Baskin as a back channel to Hamas.

• Baskin helped in the mediation efforts that led to the release of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who Hamas held from 2006 to 2011.

State of play: Israeli officials briefed on the Witkoff-Baskin back channel to Hamas said it is unclear whether it will lead to a breakthrough in the stalled negotiations.

• "The problem is that Hamas is very suspicious about Witkoff's back channels that bypass the Egyptians and Qataris. Hamas doesn't see these back channels as reliable," an Israeli official said.
• Israeli officials say the main reason for Hamas' suspicions is that they felt cheated when the U.S. didn't ramp up pressure on Israel to end the war after Hamas released American hostage Edan Alexander.
• "We need to wait a few more days to see definitively where things are heading, but at this stage it doesn't look like Hamas is responding positively to the proposal, and it doesn't look like we're on the verge of a breakthrough. Something in the positions of Israel, Hamas, or the U.S. needs to change for anything to move forward," a senior Israeli official said.

What they're saying: Trump posted on his Truth Social account Sunday that Israel has accepted his "his terms" and and that it's "time for Hamas to accept as well."

• "I have warned Hamas about the consequences of not accepting. This is my last warning, there will not be another one!" he wrote.
• The Israeli government hasn't issued a public statement accepting the proposal. A short background quote attributed to Netanyahu's confidants said "Israel is seriously considering President Trump's proposal, while Hamas will likely reject it."

Hamas has not rejected Trump's proposal. The group said in a statement on Sunday that it was ready to immediately engage in negotiations.

• "Hamas welcomes any move that helps the efforts being made to stop the aggression against our people, and affirms that it is immediately ready to sit at the negotiating table to discuss the release of all prisoners in exchange for a clear declaration to end the war, a complete withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, and the formation of a committee of independent Palestinians to administer Gaza which would immediately begin its work," the group said in a statement.
• Hamas stressed that it wanted "an explicit and public commitment" by Israel to the terms of proposal, so that it won't renege on the deal once again.

Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional details.