Israel is exploring a potential agreement that could end its war in Gaza in exchange for the full release of hostages and the dismantling of Hamas, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Sunday.
“Under the prime minister’s direction, even at this hour, the negotiating team in Doha is working to exhaust every possibility for a deal—whether according to the Witkoff outline or within the framework of ending the war, which would include the release of all hostages, the exile of Hamas terrorists, and the disarmament of the Gaza Strip,” the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said in a statement.
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The announcement comes as mediators from the United States, Egypt, and Qatar launched a new round of indirect ceasefire talks in Doha over the weekend. While the negotiations have so far produced no breakthrough, Israeli officials now appear to be weighing a broader agreement that goes beyond a temporary truce.
According to the PMO, Israel is considering two tracks: one based on a US-brokered proposal from special envoy Steve Witkoff for a short-term ceasefire and limited hostage exchange, and another involving a full cessation of hostilities in exchange for the comprehensive release of hostages and the dismantling of Hamas’s military and political presence in Gaza.
Netanyahu’s earlier position rejected any permanent ceasefire until Hamas was fully dismantled. Until now, Israel had only expressed willingness to agree to a temporary 45-day truce in return for a phased release of hostages, beginning with about ten individuals.