US President Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, expressed optimism earlier this week about brokering an agreement to halt the Israel-Hamas war and return more of the hostages captured in the attack that ignited it

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that Israel "backed and supported" the new proposal

Hamas officials gave the Israeli-approved draft a cool response, but said they wanted to study the proposal more closely before giving a formal answer

"The Zionist response, in essence, means perpetuating the occupation and continuing the killing and famine," Bassem Naim, a top Hamas official, told The Associated Press

He said it "does not respond to any of our people's demands, foremost among which is stopping the war and famine"

Nonetheless, he said the group would study the proposal "with all national responsibility"

Hamas had previously said it had agreed with Witkoff on a "general framework" of an agreement that would lead to a lasting ceasefire, a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, an influx of aid, and a transfer of power from the militant group to a politically independent committee of Palestinians

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has refused to end the war until all the hostages are released and Hamas is either destroyed or disarmed and sent into exile

He has said Israel will control Gaza indefinitely and facilitate what he refers to as the voluntary emigration of much of its population