WASHINGTON/JERUSALEM/CAIRO/GAZA - Hamas on early Friday reaffirmed its commitment to ongoing ceasefire negotiations, following criticism from US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff on the group's intentions in the talks.

In a press statement, Hamas expressed its "astonishment" over the envoy's comments, reaffirming that its engagement in the diplomatic process was aimed at reaching a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip.

"The movement has acted with a sense of national responsibility and flexibility throughout the negotiations," Hamas said, noting that it has submitted responses to mediators after consulting with Palestinian factions and regional partners.

The group said that it has dealt positively with the comments and proposals it received from mediators, including those from Egypt, Qatar and the United States, adding that it remains open to further negotiations and committed to working within the established mediation framework.

On Thursday, Witkoff said that the United States will seek "alternative options" for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Meanwhile, he announced that the US negotiating team is returning home from Qatar for consultations upon Hamas' latest response which he called "selfish."

"We have decided to bring our team home from Doha for consultations after the latest response from Hamas, which clearly shows a lack of desire to reach a ceasefire in Gaza," the envoy wrote on social media platform X.

"We will now consider alternative options to bring the hostages home and try to create a more stable environment for the people of Gaza," Witkoff went ahead.

At a news briefing Thursday, US State Department deputy spokesperson Tommy Pigott did not reveal any details on what the "alternative options" the United States is considering.

Also on Thursday, Israel decided to recall its Gaza ceasefire negotiating team from Qatar's Doha for consultations, the Israeli Prime Minister's Office said in a statement.

The decision followed Hamas' response to the mediators' proposal earlier in the day for a 60-day ceasefire and the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, it said.

Israel's state-owned Kan TV News, citing a source close to the negotiations, reported that "the talks did not collapse."

"This is a coordinated move between all parties," it reported. "There are fateful decisions that need to be made, and that is why the delegation returned for further consultations. The momentum is still positive."

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Citing another source, Kan TV News reported that Hamas is, among other things, demanding the release of 200 Palestinian militants and 2,000 Gazan civilians who were detained after Oct 7, 2023, when the Gaza war erupted.

According to Kan, these numbers are much higher than what Israel agreed to in the mediators' proposal, which includes the release of about 120 militants and another 1,200 civilians.  

Meanwhile, the Arab League (AL), the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and 10 Arab, Islamic countries on Thursday strongly condemned the Israeli Knesset's approval of a motion calling for the imposition of so-called "Israeli sovereignty" over the occupied West Bank.

In a joint statement, they considered the Israeli move as a "a flagrant breach" of international law and relevant UN Security Council resolutions which affirm the invalidity of all measures and decisions seeking to legitimize the occupation, including settlement activities in the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967.

The AL, OIC, and Bahrain, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Nigeria, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, and the United Arab Emirates reaffirmed that Israel has no sovereignty over the occupied Palestinian territory, according to the statement.

The statement stressed that the unilateral Israeli move has no legal basis and cannot alter the legal status of the occupied land.

"The Israeli actions only fuel the growing tension in the region, which has been exacerbated by the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip and the resulting humanitarian catastrophe there," it added.

They called on the international community to take urgent actions to halt Israel's illegal policies that undermine the prospects for a just and lasting peace in the region.

The statement also reaffirmed these parties' commitment to the two-state solution and the establishment of an independent, sovereign Palestinian state on the June 4, 1967 lines, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

On Wednesday, the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, approved a non-binding motion in favor of annexing the West Bank.