Diplomatic efforts to reach a ceasefire in Gaza have gained momentum, with Israeli officials engaging in indirect negotiations with Hamas in Qatar. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is also in Washington for talks with US President Donald Trump on a possible ceasefire in Gaza.
The two leaders met for a private dinner at the White House on Monday evening. While sitting across from Netanyahu, Trump insisted that both Hamas and Israel want a ceasefire.
Defying expectations of a Gaza ceasefire announcement, Netanyahu said that the Palestinians in Gaza should have the option to leave if they want to. “If people want to stay, they can stay, but if people want to leave, they can leave. It shouldn’t be a prison. It should be an open place,” he told reporters.
Trump then joined in, saying he has had “great cooperation from neighbouring countries” on the matter and “something good will happen.”
As he boarded his flight for the US on Sunday, Netanyahu insisted on sticking to Israel’s conditions for any upcoming deal on Gaza, including the release of the Israeli hostages and the destruction of Hamas’ administrative and military capabilities.
Israel and Hamas continued a second day of indirect negotiations in Qatar on Monday. According to Palestinian sources familiar with the negotiations, no breakthrough has been achieved so far, as the Israeli delegation reportedly was not granted the mandate to negotiate final terms.
Contrary to media leaks that the negotiations in Doha have reached a deadlock, Netanyahu’s office confirmed that the delegation had received a clear mandate to secure a ceasefire, though significant differences remain over core issues such as the flow of humanitarian aid, troop withdrawals, and hostage release timelines.
Meanwhile, US Envoy Steve Witkoff held separate consultations in Washington with senior Israeli officials. He first met with Netanyahu’s Strategic Adviser Ron Dermer, and days later held talks with the Israeli premier on Monday as part of ongoing efforts to push forward with the peace deal.
Witkoff voiced optimism about the prospects of closing a deal, describing the current stage as a “serious opening” after months of deadlock.
The plan’s framework calls for a 60-day ceasefire during which Hamas would release 10 living and 18 deceased hostages. Israeli forces would pull back to a buffer zone along Gaza’s borders with Israel and Egypt, while large quantities of humanitarian aid would be allowed into the devastated territory.
The negotiations focus on a phased deal aimed at halting the war, securing a hostage-prisoner exchange, and expanding humanitarian access to the besieged Strip.
The updated proposal offers stronger guarantees by Trump in keeping Israel engaged in negotiations aimed at reaching a permanent ceasefire, either during or following the 60-day pause.
Last week, Trump renewed his calls for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, emphasising the urgent need to secure the safe release of remaining hostages. His remarks emerged as Netanyahu is facing growing public pressure to reach a lasting ceasefire that would secure the release of all Israeli hostages in Hamas’ captivity.
While some members of his right-wing coalition remain firmly opposed to such a deal, others, most notably Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, have voiced support reflecting a widening divide within the Israeli leadership.
On 4 July, Hamas’ much-awaited response on the ceasefire plan came. It announced it had submitted a positive response to the Egyptian and Qatari mediators over the most recent ceasefire proposal after consulting with the various Palestinian factions.
In a statement posted on Telegram, the group confirmed its readiness to immediately engage in negotiations over the ceasefire framework. However, Hamas outlined several key amendments to the draft agreement.
Hamas called for humanitarian aid to be distributed through trusted international organisations such as the United Nations and not through the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which it called a “death trap” for Palestinians.
It also called for a phased withdrawal of Israeli forces to positions outlined in previous ceasefire agreements. In addition, Hamas demanded firm guarantees from the United States, to ensure that Israel would not resume its military operation in Gaza if all the parties failed to reach an agreement over a permanent ceasefire within the 60-day truce.
Despite Hamas’ endorsement of Witkoff’s recent ceasefire proposal, Netanyahu is reportedly seeking written guarantees from Trump that he will be able to continue military operations in Gaza if his main goals, mainly Hamas’ disarmament and the exile of its leadership abroad, are not achieved.
Israel had earlier agreed to the three-phase ceasefire framework put forward by Witkoff, which includes a temporary halt to fighting, a staged release of hostages, and expanded flow of humanitarian aid into war-torn Gaza.
Both Hamas and Israel are pressing ahead with the ceasefire negotiations under growing international pressure and shifting battlefield dynamics. Israel’s 12-day military campaign against Iran, which dealt a blow to Tehran’s nuclear capabilities and showcased Israeli military dominance, has bolstered Netanyahu’s political position.
The operation may give him a rare opportunity to face pressure by hardline members of his coalition, who have threatened to collapse the government if the war in Gaza ends.
Meanwhile, Hamas is under growing strain from a war-weary population demanding a reprieve after months of immense Israeli restrictions on food and essential supplies. The Palestinian group has also lost several senior commanders and is grappling with a mounting financial crisis after nearly two years of fighting.
The two sides are expected to enter detailed negotiations over how the deal will be implemented in the coming days or weeks. Sources familiar with the negotiations said that the next stage will be crucial to translating the proposal into a feasible agreement after months of stalled negotiations.
Witkoff has been holding consultations in Washington with senior Israeli officials, including Dermer, since 30 June, as part of ongoing efforts to push forward with the proposed ceasefire plan.
Israel and Hamas have observed two limited ceasefires since the outbreak of war on 7 October 2023. The first one, brokered in late November 2023, lasted for one week and allowed for a partial exchange of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, as well as the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza.
The second pause, initiated in January 2025, was part of a broader ceasefire framework. It allowed for the release of a negotiated number of Israeli hostages and Palestinian detainees as well as a limited increase of humanitarian aid into Gaza.
Both truces eventually failed to hold due to renewed clashes and Israeli violations that resulted in a diplomatic standstill.
Speaking to Al-Ahram Weekly, Palestinian political analyst Reham Owda outlined four possible scenarios for the future of Gaza in the light of the ongoing US efforts to stop the war.
The first is reaching a permanent ceasefire agreement that ensures the release of all the Israeli hostages in return for a negotiated number of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. In this case, Owda said that Hamas would maintain security control in Gaza, and limited aid would be allowed into the hunger-stricken enclave.
However, reconstruction would be put on hold, leaving Gaza’s population without a clear political future.
A second option would be a temporary truce that would last for at least two months, during which Israel would recover its hostages and after which it would continue its military offensive in Gaza.
A third option is the deployment of a unified Arab force to oversee reconstruction and security in Gaza, working alongside a technocratic committee or representatives from the Palestinian Authority (PA).
A fourth option is a unilateral ceasefire declared by Israel together with the full military occupation of Gaza. Under this scenario, Israel would seize control of all border crossings in Gaza, effectively asserting its control over the territory without a negotiated agreement.
Despite the renewed diplomatic efforts over a ceasefire, Israeli military operations in Gaza have continued in recent days. Deadly airstrikes, deaths and casualties, and evacuation orders and ground incursions have all intensified, particularly in the central and the southern Gaza Strip.
The escalation raises questions and casts doubts about Israel’s genuine intentions on the ground, and the possibility of whether reaching a 60-day pause can be achieved any time soon.
The UN World Food Programme (WFP) has issued a fresh alert over the rapidly worsening hunger crisis in Gaza, warning that nearly a third of the population is now enduring days without access to food.
In a statement released on 5 July, it described conditions in Gaza as the most dire it has encountered, citing the relentless displacement of civilians, ongoing military operations, and severe restrictions on humanitarian access.
Although food stocks are available in the region, the WFP stressed that without a ceasefire and safe, sustained, the risk of famine will continue to grow.
According to the Health Ministry in Gaza, more than 57,000 Palestinians have been killed and 136,000 injured in Israeli strikes on the Strip since 7 October 2023. Of these, at least 750 were killed in attacks near aid distribution centres.
* A version of this article appears in print in the 10 July, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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