Israeli negotiators set to visit Doha on Sunday for discussions with Hamas leaders
The current negotiations between Israel and Hamas are focused on securing a 60-day ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, with the United States playing a significant role in mediating the talks.
In a recent development, US President Donald Trump has expressed his efforts to secure a ceasefire deal between the two warring sides. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is due to visit the White House next week to discuss the deal with the American president.
Hamas, on the other hand, has announced a positive response to the latest proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza after deliberating with other Palestinian factions. The group has also submitted a positive response to the US proposal for a ceasefire, although they are seeking guarantees that the initial truce would lead to a total end to the war.
The proposed ceasefire deal, backed by the US, would involve the release of hostages—specifically, 10 living hostages and 18 hostage bodies exchanged for some Palestinian prisoners whose number is yet undetermined. However, Israel has rejected changes Hamas wants to make to the US-backed ceasefire proposal, describing those demands as unacceptable.
The main sticking points in the negotiations include the terms regarding hostages, prisoner exchanges, and Hamas’s demand for a formal end to the conflict, which Israel is currently unwilling to concede.
Despite the ongoing negotiations, violence and humanitarian crises persist in Gaza. At least 613 Palestinians have been killed in a month while trying to obtain aid in Gaza, with most of the deaths occurring as they tried to reach food distribution points run by an Israeli-backed American organization.
Local hospitals in Gaza have reported another 20 deaths due to shootings while seeking aid, and Israeli airstrikes killed 15 Palestinians in Gaza early on Friday.
The negotiations will also specify the amount of aid that will enter Gaza during the truce. Hamas wants aid to flow in greater quantities through the United Nations and other humanitarian agencies.
As the negotiations continue, it remains to be seen whether a ceasefire can be reached and whether the critical conditions will be agreed upon by both parties. The upcoming meeting between Netanyahu and Trump may further influence the course of these negotiations.
In the ongoing negotiations, the US President Donald Trump's efforts to secure a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas encompass not only the 60-day truce but also discussions about politics, war-and-conflicts, and general-news, such as hostage releases, prisoner exchanges, and the formal end to the conflict. Hamas, in response, has submitted a positive stance towards the US ceasefire proposal, but they seek guarantees that the truce would lead to a total end to the war.
