The signal of ending the war shows a major policy shift from Israel, which has consistently said that fighting in Gaza will not end without the destruction of Hamas as a military and governing power.
In an apparent shift in approach, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has indicated that Tel Aviv was open to a deal with Hamas to “end the fighting” in Gaza, laying out conditions for such an agreement. The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said the hostage negotiation team in Doha was exhausting “every possibility” for a deal with the Palestinian group to either temporarily cease fighting or permanently end the war.
Per the PMO, its team is looking at US special envoy Steve Witkoff’s proposal for a limited hostage exchange and short-term ceasefire, or a comprehensive agreement to end the war by releasing all hostages in Gaza and the complete surrender and exile of Hamas operatives.
“Even at this very moment, the negotiation team in Doha is working to exhaust every possibility for a deal — whether according to the Witkoff framework or as part of ending the fighting, which would include the release of all the hostages, the exile of Hamas terrorists, and the disarmament of the Gaza Strip,” his office said in a statement.
According to Israel, 58 hostages remain in Hamas’s captivity, with about 23 of them said to be alive.
The signal of ending the war shows a major policy shift from Israel, which has consistently said that fighting in Gaza will not end without the destruction of Hamas as a military and governing power. Israel has blocked the entry of medical, food and fuel supplies into Gaza since the start of March to try to pressure Hamas into freeing Israeli hostages and has even approved plans that could involve seizing the entire Gaza Strip and controlling aid.
What Does Hamas Say?
Hamas has said it will only free the hostages in return for an Israeli ceasefire as mediators from Egypt and Qatar, backed by the United States, began a new round of indirect ceasefire talks between the two sides on Saturday.
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