Top officials in the Israeli government will meet on Saturday to discuss their latest ceasefire effort with U.S.-designated terrorist group Hamas.
Hamas delivered its response to a ceasefire framework on Friday night, which was “characterized as being positive.” It added that the group is prepared to start talks to put a ceasefire into effect.
The terrorist group reportedly wants Israel to bend on three hard-line issues to reach an agreement. Hamas wants to change how aid would enter Gaza during a truce, how far Israeli troops would retreat during the temporary peace, and language directed at a willingness to end the war permanently.
The latest proposal includes a 60-day ceasefire where hostages would be exchanged for Palestinian prisoners, Israeli troops would pull back to agreed-upon lines, and mediators would step in during the pause in an attempt to end the war. President Donald Trump announced earlier this week that the Israelis agreed to the “necessary conditions” for a 60-day ceasefire.
“My Representatives had a long and productive meeting with the Israelis today on Gaza. Israel has agreed to the necessary conditions to finalize the 60 Day CEASEFIRE, during which time we will work with all parties to end the War. The Qataris and Egyptians, who have worked very hard to help bring Peace, will deliver this final proposal. I hope, for the good of the Middle East, that Hamas takes this Deal, because it will not get better — IT WILL ONLY GET WORSE,” he wrote in a post on Truth Social.
Trump will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday and is hoping to announce that Hamas and Israel have reached a deal that day. Former Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Michael Oren told the Washington Examiner that the meeting is “potentially pivotal,” and will “be a victory lap [for] two allies who have just won a war.”
But it’s unclear how serious Netanyahu and Israel would be regarding a diplomatic solution to their war with Hamas. Netanyahu is still focused on the complete annihilation of Hamas, while the group responsible for the Oct. 7, 2023 massacre wants to remain in power after the war ends. Hamas has previously signaled openness to discussing a ceasefire before making steeper demands than Israel was willing to accept.
“I am telling you, there will be no more Hamas. There will be no more Hamastan,” Netanyahu said last Wednesday. “We are not going back to that. It’s over. We will free all of our hostages. ‘Really, how can one say this? These objectives are contradictory!’ What nonsense. They go together. We will complete this together, contrary to what is being said. We will eliminate Hamas down to its very foundations.”
A new ceasefire deal would be similar to temporary peaces struck in November 2023 and again from January through March 2025. Trump said he was “very optimistic, but look, it changes from day to day,” when asked about the framework.
A main bargaining chip for Hamas is the around 50 hostages still held in Gaza — Israel believes about 20 of them are still alive. Netanyahu said on Thursday that he feels a “deep commitment” to returning all of the hostages.
WHERE THE CEASEFIRE NEGOTIATIONS STAND AHEAD OF TRUMP-NETANYAHU MEETING
While Israel has been fighting with Hamas, it launched a 12-day war against Iran with an objective of crippling its nuclear program. The nation appeared successful, damaging several facilities with U.S. help and killing several top military commanders and nuclear scientists. Oren says the war “strengthened” Netanyahu’s political standing and said he may be “able to display a little bit more flexibility.”
With the added flexibility, Netanyahu could continue the war in Gaza, which has been raging for over 20 months, and has killed thousands of people. The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry claims more than 57,000 people in Gaza have been killed since the start.