The new talks are set to begin on Thursday.

The indirect talks have not advanced substantively for more than two months and sticking points remain. New Israeli terms put forward have complicated progress. And Hamas has yet to say outright whether it will participate in the new round.

Meanwhile, the brutal Israeli war rages on and fears of an all-out regional war involving Iran and one of its regional proxies, Hezbollah, have surged. The assassination of Hamas’ top leader in Tehran in an Israeli attack further plunged the talks into uncertainty.

Here is a look at the proposed ceasefire deal and why talks have stalled.

What does the proposal look like?
 

On 31 May, US President Joe Biden detailed what he said was an Israeli ceasefire proposal, calling it “a road map” to a lasting truce and freedom for the captives. It set off the most concentrated US push to bring about an end to the war.

The original proposal, backed by a UN Security Council resolution on 10 June, involved three phases. The first would last for six weeks and include a “full and complete ceasefire,” a withdrawal of Israeli forces from all densely populated areas of Gaza, and the release of a number of captives, including women, the elderly, and the wounded, in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian detained in the Israeli prisons. Palestinian civilians would be able to return to their homes and humanitarian aid would be increased.

The two sides would use that six-week period to negotiate an agreement on the second phase, which Biden said would include the release of all remaining living captives, including male soldiers, and Israel’s full withdrawal from Gaza. The temporary ceasefire would become permanent.

The third phase would kick off a major reconstruction of Gaza, which faces decades of rebuilding from the devastation caused by the war.

What are the sticking points?
 

Even though Biden threw his weight behind the proposal, it has not led to a breakthrough and the sides appear to have grown further apart in the weeks since.

In June, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would only be willing to agree to a “partial” ceasefire deal that would not end the war.

In an interview with Israeli Channel 14, Netanyahu said he was “prepared to make a partial deal that will return to us some of the people,” referring to the roughly 120 captives still held in the Gaza Strip. “But we are committed to continuing the war after a pause,” he said.

Hamas viewed Netanyahu's remarks on a “partial deal” as a rejection of Biden’s proposal.

Israel could also make demands during this stage of negotiations that were not part of the initial deal and would be unacceptable to Hamas — and then resume the war when Hamas refuses them.

Ahead of the Israeli negotiating team’s departure for further ceasefire talks in Cairo last month, Netanyahu presented a list of what he said were non-negotiable Israeli demands, sparking anger both in Israel and among mediators, with some accusing him of attempting to sabotage hard-won progress.

The list of demands includes that any potential deal must “allow Israel to resume the war, prevent Hamas from smuggling arms, prevent the return of thousands of resistance fighters to the north of the Gaza Strip, and finally allow Israel to maximize the number of live detainees that are released from captivity,” according to a statement by Netanyahu's office declared in July.

Moreover, Israel has added additional demands to the initial proposal in recent weeks, two Egyptian officials with knowledge of the talks told AP.

In a statement on Tuesday, Netanyahu's office denied this, calling the additional terms “essential clarifications.” It claimed Hamas has made 29 additions, without specifying which. 

Egyptian officials said Israel seeks to maintain control of a strip of land along Gaza’s border with Egypt known as the Philadelphi corridor. 

Israel also wants to maintain forces along an east-west route that bisects Gaza so that they can weed out any crossing into the territory's north. Hamas has rejected the idea, saying Israel would use it as a pretext to prevent Palestinians from returning to their homes.

The Egyptian officials and Netanyahu's office said Israel also wants veto power over the Palestinian prisoners who would be freed. Hamas refuses to compromise on the issue, they said.

Israel also wants a list of the captives who are still alive, according to the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

On Tuesday, an Israeli source told CNN that Hamas's new leader Yahya Sinwar wants a ceasefire deal, noting that that is the message Egyptian and Qatari mediators have conveyed to Israeli officials in recent days.

Whether the Israeli prime minister wants to strike a deal remains shrouded in uncertainty, CNN said, as Netanyahu's critics say he is dragging out the war for his own political survival.

His far-right coalition partners have pledged to topple the government if he agrees to a ceasefire, which could trigger elections that might oust him from power. Netanyahu has said he has the country's best interests in mind.

Hamas on Sunday called on US, Qatari, and Egyptian mediators to implement a ceasefire plan for Gaza put forward by the US President, instead of holding "more talks" which allows Tel Aviv to "continue its genocidal war against the Palestinian people."

According to a Wall Street Journal report, Sinwar told mediators on Monday night that Israel should stop its military operations in Gaza to show that it is “serious about negotiations” and to convince Hamas to attend talks.

The report added, however, that such a demand is “unlikely to be met by Israel,” which has staunchly rejected the possibility of pausing operations as a precondition for talks.

What else is complicating progress?
 

The talks were further thrown into disarray last month when Israel assassinated Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh while he was in Tehran for the Iranian president’s inauguration. Biden said the assassination had “not helped” ceasefire efforts, and the talks were driven into a deep freeze.

That killing came just hours after Israel assassinated a top Hezbollah commander in a strike in Beirut. Both strikes drew threats of retaliation from Iran and Hezbollah, and the fear of an all-out regional war diverted international attention away from efforts to wind down the fighting in Gaza.

The killings spurred a flurry of diplomatic activity and led the US to direct military assets to the region.