Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Sunday that he is sending a team to Qatar for talks on a truce and hostage release in Gaza, following Hamas’s statement that it was ready to begin negotiations “immediately.” However, Netanyahu, who is scheduled to meet with US President Donald Trump in Washington on Monday, concurrently stated that the Palestinian Islamist group’s proposed changes to a draft US-backed ceasefire deal were “unacceptable.”
President Trump has been making a renewed push to end the nearly 21-month conflict in Gaza, where the civil defence agency reported that 42 people were killed in Israeli military operations on Saturday.
Hamas had declared on Friday its readiness “to engage immediately and seriously” in negotiations, and that it was submitting its responses to the truce proposal. “The changes that Hamas is seeking to make in the Qatari proposal were conveyed to us last night and are unacceptable to Israel,” read a statement from Netanyahu’s office.
Despite this, the statement continued: “In light of an assessment of the situation, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has directed that the invitation to proximity talks be accepted and that the contacts for the return of our hostages — on the basis of the Qatari proposal that Israel has agreed to — be continued.”
Hamas has not publicly detailed its specific responses to the US-sponsored proposal, which was transmitted by mediators from Qatar and Egypt. However, two Palestinian sources close to the discussions informed AFP that the proposal included a 60-day truce, during which Hamas would release 10 living hostages and several bodies in exchange for Palestinian prisoners detained by Israel. These sources added that Hamas was also demanding certain conditions for Israel’s withdrawal, guarantees against a resumption of fighting during negotiations, and the return of a UN-led aid distribution system.
The war in Gaza began with Hamas’s October 2023 attack on Israel, which ignited a massive Israeli offensive in the territory aimed at destroying the group and bringing home all the hostages seized by Palestinian militants. Two previous ceasefires, also mediated by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States, resulted in temporary halts in fighting and the return of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. Of the 251 hostages taken by Palestinian militants during the October 2023 attack, 49 are still believed to be held in Gaza, including 27 that the Israeli military states are deceased.
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