Hamas has reportedly now agreed to a temporary cease-fire proposal rather than a comprehensive deal that would have required the release of all hostages and the surrender of the enclave to an international force, Arab mediators said Monday.
The deal Hamas accepted offers the release of just 10 hostages in exchange for a 60-day pause in fighting and the return of Palestinian prisoners.
Israeli officials confirmed they are reviewing the proposal but stressed that Israel still insists on the release of all 50 remaining hostages before agreeing to end the war.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has made clear his government’s conditions, said Hamas is under “immense pressure” and reiterated that Israel will only accept a single-stage deal that results in the return of all hostages and the militant group’s disarmament. “Hamas must relinquish its arms and power in the enclave,” Netanyahu said Monday night.
Hamas’s move marks a reversal from July, when the group added demands to a nearly identical plan and Israel withdrew from negotiations.
Analysts say the shift reflects growing pressure from Egypt and Qatar, which are attempting to prevent Israel from launching a large-scale operation in Gaza City.
Michael Milshtein, a former head of Palestinian affairs for Israeli military intelligence, said Hamas has not meaningfully altered its position: “The ball right now is in Israel’s court. It is receiving exactly the same ball. There isn’t anything different here.”
The current proposal—known as the Witkoff plan, after U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff—calls for immediate talks on a lasting cease-fire.
Arab officials said Hamas has conceded on several points, including agreeing to fewer Palestinian prisoners in exchange and to a larger buffer zone that Israel has long demanded.
President Donald Trump, who has remained vocal on the crisis, dismissed the notion that Hamas could negotiate its way out of defeat. On Truth Social, he wrote: “The remaining hostages in Gaza would only be freed once Hamas is confronted and destroyed!!!! The sooner this happens, the better the chances of success will be.”
Meanwhile, Israel is preparing for an operation in Gaza City, where both hostages and hundreds of thousands of civilians are believed to be sheltering. Netanyahu said he met with his defense minister Monday to discuss the takeover plan.
Israeli and Egyptian officials said Israel has already begun transferring tents and shelter equipment into Gaza to move civilians south to Rafah, where a tent city is planned.
The war, approaching its second year, has left more than 62,000 dead, according to Palestinian health authorities. Israel says it now controls about 75 percent of the territory. An invasion of Gaza City would force civilians into an even smaller area of land.
Netanyahu is under international pressure to wind down the campaign, even as polls show broad domestic support for continuing until the hostages are returned.
Surveys indicate roughly 80 percent of Israelis favor ending the war in exchange for the hostages, and demonstrations demanding action drew hundreds of thousands to the streets on Sunday.
Still, Israel’s leaders insist that any settlement must eliminate Hamas’s grip on Gaza. As Netanyahu made clear, temporary pauses are not enough: the ultimate goal is victory.
[READ MORE: Bolivia’s Left Suffers Historic Defeat as Voters Demand Change Amid Economic Collapse]
