Israel on Monday rejected outright a new proposal put forward by American businessman Bishara Bahah, which called for the release of 10 living hostages in two phases, a permanent ceasefire, and negotiations over Gaza’s post-war governance.
“The proposal presented to Israel is unacceptable to any responsible government. Hamas has shown no genuine intention to reach an agreement. Israel remains committed to the Witkoff outline,” an Israeli source told Channel 14.
According to a report by Al-Mayadeen, the proposal advanced by Dr. Bahah is based on the Witkoff outline and features a 60-day ceasefire during which ten living hostages would be released in two phases. However, an Israeli source stated that Jerusalem firmly rejects the proposal. A source told Al-Mayadeen that “Hamas has no real desire to move forward with a deal.”
Al-Mayadeen further reported that Hamas submitted a counter-proposal calling for a 70-day ceasefire, during which five hostages would be released alive and five deceased in the first week. Hamas also demanded the entry of 1,000 humanitarian aid trucks into Gaza daily throughout the ceasefire.
Bahah’s plan, as outlined in the report, includes an Israeli commitment to negotiate an end to the war during the ceasefire period, under the personal guarantee of President Donald Trump. Negotiations would focus on two main tracks: one concerning Hamas’s commitment to cease rearming or conducting military activity against Israel, and the other addressing Gaza’s future governance, including the establishment of a professional administrative body and the Strip’s reconstruction. Bahah reportedly presented the plan in coordination with Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff.
Noor Dahri, Executive Director/CEO at ITCT, former columnist at Daily Times, and former member of the Jewish Police Association, Bishara Bahbah was as surprised as anyone to find himself acting as the key backchannel between the U.S. government and Hamas.
The “Palestinian”-American business consultant, founder of Arab Americans for Trump, received an unexpected call in late April from Ghazi Hamad, a member of Hamas’s political bureau in Doha, who told him Hamas was prepared to release all the Israeli hostages in return for a permanent ceasefire. Hamad asked Bahbah to relay this offer to Steve Witkoff.
Bahbah, who has no diplomatic credentials (he doesn’t even have a Wikipedia page, trust me, I looked – DI) called Witkoff.
“Honestly, if I were Steve Witkoff, I’d be thinking, ‘Who the hell is this guy and why is he calling me?’ And I get that,” Bahbah told Israel’s Channel 12.
But Witkoff took the call, and since then, the unlikely intermediary has found himself at the center of U.S. efforts to broker an end to the war in Gaza, continuing to pass messages between Hamas and the Trump team.
In recent days, following the collapse of talks in Qatar, senior Israeli officials have expressed cautious optimism that an agreement could still be reached. Their assessments are based on three key sources of pressure influencing both sides: the looming threat of a major Israeli military operation, elements of which are already underway; growing international and European pressure on Israel amid mounting concerns over the humanitarian situation in Gaza; and ongoing U.S. efforts to broker a deal that would bring the war to an end.
It is worth noting that, according to Hamas, “the day after” framework includes the formation of a technocratic government composed of “Palestinian” professionals to administer Gaza, the reconstruction of the Strip, and efforts to reach a permanent resolution to the conflict.
During the proposed ceasefire period, Hamas pledges to refrain from attacking Israel, and to neither use, develop, nor smuggle any form of weapon. The outline also includes a commitment by Hamas and other factions in Gaza to avoid taking any action that would threaten Israel’s security.
How did President GW Bush put it so eloquently? “Fool me once, shame on, shame on you. Fool me … you can’t get fooled again!”
