Israel, Hamas Discuss Truce as Trump Eyes Broader Middle East Deal
Ceasefire talks in Qatar unfold alongside US efforts to link a deal in Gaza to broader regional normalization
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu left Israel on Sunday en route to the US, where he will meet with President Donald Trump on Monday in Washington. The meeting will cover a variety of regional issues, but the most anticipated topic is a possible ceasefire between Israel and the Gaza-based terrorist organization Hamas.
Netanyahu’s office announced that negotiators would be heading to Qatar to discuss the terms of the deal, even though Hamas is asking for “unacceptable” changes to the proposal currently on the table.
Last week, President Trump said that Israel had already agreed to the terms of the ceasefire, raising expectations that a deal is imminent. For President Trump, a deal in Gaza is a precursor to a larger Middle East plan, which includes normalizing relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
Israel and Hamas have yet to reach an agreement, and previous attempts to bridge the gap between the two bitter enemies have failed. The fighting in the Gaza Strip continues. In recent weeks, Palestinian officials in the Hamas-run Health Ministry reported hundreds of deaths resulting from the Israeli military campaign. More than 50,000 Palestinians have been killed since the fighting began immediately after Hamas launched a surprise offensive against Israel on October 7, 2025. In that attack, approximately 1,200 Israelis were killed, and over 250 were kidnapped by Hamas. Fifty of them remain in captivity, and over half are presumed dead. More than 430 Israeli soldiers have been killed during the military’s ground operation in Gaza.
The main issues of contention between Hamas and Israel have not changed.
Currently under discussion is an interim ceasefire lasting 60 days, during which 10 living Israeli hostages will be gradually released, along with an additional 15 to 18 bodies. In return, Israel will release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. Hamas is demanding an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, which the Israeli government has refused to agree to.
Hamas is seeking American guarantees that the initial truce would lead to the end of the war and a complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza. In previous rounds of negotiations, Netanyahu has insisted that Israel would resume fighting once the truce is over unless there is a withdrawal of forces.
Netanyahu will not agree to ultimate conditions that leave Hamas in power. … Netanyahu is a particularly creative statesman who might approve an interim deal but will not agree to an end to the conflict or an Israeli withdrawal with Hamas still in control.
“Netanyahu will not agree to ultimate conditions that leave Hamas in power,” Dr. Dan Diker, president of the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs, told The Media Line. “Netanyahu is a particularly creative statesman who might approve an interim deal but will not agree to an end to the conflict or an Israeli withdrawal with Hamas still in control.”
On the first day of the implementation, negotiations for a permanent ceasefire are supposed to begin. Israel’s uncompromising demand is to strip Hamas of its ability to rule Gaza, both militarily and as a governing power. Netanyahu has indicated that the expulsion of Hamas’ leadership from Gaza is a possibility in ongoing negotiations for an overall agreement.
According to Diker, Netanyahu is cooperating with President Trump’s “deal diplomacy,” aligning himself with the president’s generous approach, even though there are areas where Israeli interests “are not necessarily at the top of the list for the US.”
“Ultimately, a wider deal in the Middle East can only come when the hostages are released and Hamas is eliminated, whether militarily or otherwise,” he explained. “Israel is following Trump’s lead for the bigger prize, which is normalization, possibly with Syria, Saudi Arabia, and potentially several other Arab countries. Netanyahu is, therefore, aligning with Trump as much as possible without sacrificing Israel’s security red lines.”
An Egyptian plan that was presented in March was immediately shot down by Israel because it involved bringing in the Palestinian Authority, which the Netanyahu government also considers a terrorist entity, into Gaza. Egypt shares a border with Gaza, regulated by the Rafah crossing, which Hamas has used for decades to smuggle weapons.
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Israel has long made the mistake of not stressing the strong connection between Gaza and the Egyptians. … Israel should have mobilized the international community and the US to transfer more responsibility to the Egyptians.
“Israel has long made the mistake of not stressing the strong connection between Gaza and the Egyptians,” Brig. Gen. (res.) Nitzan Nuriel, former director of the Counter-Terrorism Bureau at the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office, told The Media Line. “Israel should have mobilized the international community and the US to transfer more responsibility to the Egyptians.”
“This is the only way to overcome Hamas’ demand for a full Israeli withdrawal,” Nuriel said, adding that Egyptian involvement, along with that of the Gulf states, would allow Israel to retain control of Gaza’s perimeter, which borders southern Israel.
Israelis are eagerly awaiting the release of the remaining hostages, with many in the public calling for a deal that will see all 50 released at once. This has never been an option in any negotiations, including the current round.
Over half of the 50 hostages still in Hamas captivity are believed to be dead, and the whereabouts of their remains has raised questions about whether they will ever be returned. Twenty are presumed alive. Their presence has complicated the Israeli military maneuver in Gaza and prolonged the war effort.
Netanyahu heads an ultra-nationalist government, with some members staunchly opposed to any compromise with Hamas. His coalition also includes members who favor an interim deal. In parliament, the majority of the opposition has voiced support for a deal, with some members calling for a complete end to the war, criticizing the temporary nature of the current proposal.
“There is pressure, on the one hand, from his far-right coalition partners to cancel a ceasefire interim agreement with Hamas. Yet Netanyahu has the majority of the cabinet supporting an interim deal to achieve results that are important, particularly in tandem with President Trump,” Diker explained. “Freeing half of the remaining hostages has far-reaching implications for the prime minister’s security and strategic agenda, including his vision of a Middle East regional ‘reset.’”
“Israel is the reason for the incremental nature of the deal,” said Nuriel. “If Israel were willing to stop the war, agree to a long ceasefire, and withdraw its forces, then all of the living hostages would be returned.”
The distribution of humanitarian aid to Gaza’s civilian population has been a point of contention throughout the war. In Israel, the internal debate has centered on what some see as the obligation to prevent a humanitarian crisis in Gaza, while others view it as feeding the enemy. Scenes of hundreds of Palestinians storming the border on October 7, many of them not members of terrorist organizations, have led many Israelis to refuse to distinguish between Hamas members and civilians, accusing all Gazans of being involved, in some way, in hostilities toward Israel.
This is reflected within Netanyahu’s government, where members such as Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir have called for a complete blockade on Gaza, including the delivery of basic humanitarian aid.
During the war, Israel has faced intense international criticism of its handling of the humanitarian situation in Gaza, with several aid organizations accusing the Jewish state of pushing the population toward famine. Israel is also facing allegations of genocide at the International Court of Justice in The Hague.
Israel claims that much of the humanitarian aid that entered Gaza until May of this year reached the hands of Hamas, allowing the terrorist organization to maintain its grip on the civilians in the territory and profit by selling goods at inflated prices.
In May, a new distribution mechanism was established. The US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, operating under a joint US–Israeli framework secured by American contractors, distributes aid to Palestinians through four hubs in the Gaza Strip. The aim of this effort is to distance Hamas from the aid distribution, weaken its hold on Gaza’s population, and pressure it into a ceasefire agreement that would also include the release of the remaining hostages.
“Israel requires that Hamas not have any control over or participate in the distribution or transportation of humanitarian aid,” said Diker. “Trump is completely in agreement with Israel on this.”
“Hamas’ governing power relies on the fact that the Palestinians know they are not going anywhere and are therefore fearful and dependent on them for food, water, and money,” said Nuriel. “Hamas doesn’t want that to change and will insist on regaining control over the distribution of aid.”
The idea that Gulf states, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, or Jordan might participate in the effort has yet to materialize, although it has been discussed throughout the war.
“None of the Arab countries will come near to putting boots on the ground if Hamas is still in power,” said Diker. “An interim agreement means Hamas remains in power; it can recruit and strengthen. That is the internal contradiction that exists when the US talks about Arab participation in Gaza’s rehabilitation.”
Israeli media reported over the weekend that Netanyahu reassured Ben Gvir, Smotrich, and other far-right political allies that he has not relented in his goal to remove Hamas from power.
“Netanyahu lacks the political will and ability to reach a deal,” Nuriel summarized.
During a meeting between Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Netanyahu on Sunday, Herzog encouraged the prime minister to reach a deal.
“I fully support these efforts, even when they involve difficult, complex, and painful decisions. … The cost is not simple, but I am confident that the cabinet and the security establishment will rise to the challenge,” Herzog said, speaking from his Jerusalem residence.
