Steve Witkoff, founder of the Witkoff Group, gestures during a rally for Donald Trump at Madison Square Garden, in New York, US, Oct. 27, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Andrew Kelly

The Hamas terrorist group is responsible for the renewed fighting in Gaza after rejecting efforts to move forward with what had been an “acceptable deal,” US special envoy Steve Witkoff said on Sunday, even as he said he would be open to new outreach.

“So this is on Hamas. The United States stands with the state of Israel,” Witkoff told Fox News. “Hamas had every opportunity to demilitarize, to accept the bridging proposal.” After weeks of relative calm in the Gaza Strip, following a ceasefire deal reached in January, attempts to agree to an extension of the halt in fighting stalled and Israel resumed its air strikes and deployed ground troops in areas across the strip.

Palestinian health authorities say hundreds have been killed in the latest strikes.

Witkoff’s “bridge” plan, presented earlier in March, aimed to extend the ceasefire into April, beyond the holidays of Ramadan and Passover, to allow time for negotiations on a permanent cessation of hostilities.

“Would we be amenable to a reach out from Hamas? Of course, we would be – no different than in the Russian conflict (in Ukraine). We want to end the killing, but we need to be clear who the aggressor is here, and that is Hamas,” he said.