Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. AFP
In an interview with Fox News, Netanyahu said that during his visit to Washington, D.C., last week, he had worked with US President Donald Trump on efforts for a deal to release half the Israeli captives, both living and dead, in exchange for a 60-day ceasefire.
Intensive negotiations have been underway in Doha since last week, but reports suggest the talks are on the brink of collapse.
Sources familiar with the negotiations told The Times of Israel that this was due to Israeli demands regarding the redeployment and withdrawal of the army troops during the ceasefire.
A Palestinian source told AFP that Israel's refusal to accept Hamas's demand for a complete withdrawal of troops from Gaza was holding back progress in the talks.
Israel was proposing to maintain its military in more than 40 percent of the Palestinian territory, forcing hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians into a small area near the city of Rafah, near the Egyptian border, he added.
A second source said mediators had asked both sides to postpone discussions until US Special Envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, arrives in Doha.
"Hamas's delegation will not accept the Israeli maps... as they essentially legitimize the re-occupation of approximately half of the Gaza Strip and turn Gaza into isolated zones with no crossings or freedom of movement," the Palestinian sources told AFP.
Israeli media reported that new maps would be presented on Sunday, quoting an unnamed foreign official with knowledge of the details.
Despite his claims about pushing for a truce, Netanyahu reiterated Israel’s alleged Gaza war aims.
"I think we’ll end up meeting all our goals—achieving the safe return of all our hostages and destroying Hamas," he told Fox News host Mark Levin.
Turning to Iran, Netanyahu claimed the regime is “in deep trouble” following its June military confrontation with Israel.
He underscored the need for ongoing oversight of Tehran’s actions and nuclear ambitions.
“I support an exceptional deal with Iran: no enrichment—as President Trump and I have said—no ballistic missiles that could reach your shores, and no missiles beyond international treaty limits, which is 300 miles. And no terror axis,” he stated.
Netanyahu described Israel’s military actions against Iran as a “major victory,” claiming that they significantly delayed Iran’s nuclear programme.
“We’ve targeted Iranian nuclear scientists before, but they don’t compare to the senior figures we eliminated in the last war,” he claimed.
In another context, Netanyahu indicated that he is cooperating with US President Donald Trump to advance the normalization process with Arab countries, but he did not specify which ones.
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