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Gershon baskin on September 6th called Steve Witkof about the 8 points, and Hamas wants clear documents so they can decide

Checked on November 24, 2025
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Executive summary

Available reporting shows Gershon Baskin acted as a back‑channel between U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Hamas in early September 2025, delivering a U.S. proposal/principles for ending the Gaza war; multiple outlets report Baskin received the material from Witkoff and relayed it to Hamas figures around Sept. 7–8, 2025 (e.g., KAN/Jerusalem Post, Al‑Monitor, Axios) [1] [2] [3]. Several first‑person pieces by Baskin and interviews with him confirm ongoing contact with Witkoff and Hamas through September and that Baskin helped transmit an American proposal that Hamas wanted in written form to consider [4] [5].

1. What the contemporaneous reports say about the Sept. 6–8 contact

Reporting from mainstream outlets and regional press consistently states that Steve Witkoff used Gershon Baskin as a new back channel to reach Hamas and that Baskin delivered a set of U.S. principles or a ceasefire proposal to Hamas in early September 2025; Axios and KAN/Jerusalem Post summarize this chain of transmission and note the timing around Sept. 7–8, 2025 [3] [1]. Al‑Monitor likewise reported Baskin confirmed receiving the proposal from Witkoff and relaying it to senior Hamas official Ghazi Hamad [2].

2. Did Baskin call Steve Witkoff “on September 6th” about “the 8 points”?

Available sources show a sequence of contacts in early September and that an “American proposal” or “set of principles” was passed via Baskin to Hamas on Sept. 7–8, 2025; none of the provided items quote a specific claim that Baskin called Witkoff on September 6th about “the 8 points” verbatim. Baskin’s own Substack and interviews recount he was in sustained contact with Witkoff and that an American proposal reached Hamas on Sept. 8, 2025, but the exact phrasing “called on September 6th about the 8 points” is not documented in the cited reporting [4] [5] [2].

3. Did Hamas ask for “clear documents so they can decide”?

Baskin’s accounts and media interviews indicate Hamas received an American proposal via the Qatari prime minister on Sept. 8, 2025 and that Hamas sought clarity and official text in order to consider it — reporting notes Hamas’s skepticism of U.S. intentions and requests for concrete documentation before committing [4] [5]. However, none of the provided sources includes a direct quote from a Hamas official saying “we want clear documents so we can decide” in those exact words; the general portrayal is that Hamas wanted formal written terms to evaluate [2] [4].

4. The competing perspectives and political stakes

Gershon Baskin frames his role as necessary mediation; his Substack and interviews emphasize he helped deliver and draft aspects of the proposal and that Witkoff and President Trump pressed to end the war [4] [6]. U.S. and pro‑U.S. accounts (e.g., Axios, NPR excerpts quoting Baskin) credit Trump and Witkoff with enabling the outreach [3] [7]. Israeli officials and other briefings, as covered by Axios, expressed uncertainty about whether the Witkoff‑Baskin channel would succeed and questioned how much Israel was informed in advance [3]. Some reporting flags Hamas distrust of American claims and concern about covert Israeli involvement in certain actions — illustrating why Hamas wanted formal written proposals [5].

5. Reliability, limits and unanswered details

Primary limitations: the documented sources rely heavily on Baskin’s own account and second‑hand reporting of back channels; independent confirmation of the exact September 6 call, the label “8 points,” or word‑for‑word Hamas demands are not present in the supplied items [4] [2] [3]. Available sources do not mention detailed verbatim communications or release of a formal eight‑point document to the public at that time; they instead describe principles/proposals transmitted and discussed through intermediaries [2] [3].

6. Journalistic takeaways and what to watch next

For precise verification, seek contemporaneous transcripts, direct statements from Witkoff or Hamas negotiators, or publication of the document in question; current reporting documents the back‑channel role of Baskin and the transmission of an American proposal in early September 2025, but does not provide the specific dated phone log or the exact phrasing you quoted [3] [2] [4]. If you need a definitive answer about a Sept. 6 call and the “8 points” text, those elements are not found in the current reporting and would require primary source release or reporting that cites direct documents or on‑the‑record confirmations [4] [2].

Want to dive deeper?
Who is Gershon Baskin and what role did he play in Israeli-Palestinian negotiations?
What are the '8 points' referenced in communications between Gershon Baskin and Steve Witkof?
Which Hamas leaders requested clear documents to make decisions, and what decisions were at stake?
What is Steve Witkof's affiliation and involvement in Gaza hostage or ceasefire negotiations?
How have third-party intermediaries like Baskin affected recent Hamas-Israel negotiation outcomes as of Nov 2025?