The U.S. envoy’s optimism about the Gaza ceasefire, but where is the matter? – National
U.S. President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy expressed optimism this week on a deal to stop the Israel-Hamas conflict and return more hostages captured in the attack.
“I have a great feeling about reaching a long-term solution – a temporary ceasefire and a long-term solution, a peaceful solution to conflict,” Steve Witkoff said in Washington on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Hamas said it had agreed on the “general framework” of an agreement that would lead to a lasting ceasefire, Israel's full withdrawal from Gaza, influx of aid and transfer power from militant groups to the Palestinian committee of the Political Independence Commission.
However, Israel publicly excludes any such agreement, saying it only agrees to temporarily pause in combat to facilitate the release of hostages. Israeli media quoted officials to deny that any agreement along Hamas described was on the table.
What do Israel and Hamas want?
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refused to end the conflict until all hostages were released and Hamas was destroyed or disarmed and exiled. He said Israel would control Gaza indefinitely and promote voluntary immigration of the population he referred to.
One move expert said Palestinians and the majority of the international community have rejected plans to resettle Gaza's population, which could violate international law.
Hamas said it would only release the rest of the hostages (the only bargaining chip) in exchange for more Palestinian prisoners, a lasting ceasefire and all Israeli evacuation. It proposed to give up power from a politically independent Palestinian committee that could monitor reconstruction.
Hamas still holds 58 hostages. About one-third of people are believed to be alive, although many fear the longer the conflict takes place. Thousands of Palestinians have been killed since Israel ended its ceasefire in March.
The dispute over whether there should be a temporary ceasefire to release more hostages – as Israel demanded, as Hamas wanted, or permanent hostages – has been negotiated by the United States, Egypt and Qatar for more than a year and a half, and there is no indication that it has been resolved.
What are the latest ceasefire recommendations?
Witkoff has not yet promoted his latest proposal, but Hamas officials and an Egyptian official independently confirmed some details. They talked anonymously, discussing sensitive conversations.
Get the daily national news
Get news, politics, economics and current events titles delivered to your inbox every day.
They said this demanded a 60-day pause in the fight, guaranteeing serious negotiations, leading to a prolonged armistice and assurance that Israel would not resume hostilities like in March after the hostages were released. Israeli forces will return to their posts during the Israeli ceasefire.
Hamas will release 10 living hostages and many bodies during the 60-day pause in exchange for more than 1,100 Palestinians imprisoned by Israel, including 100 for a long-term sentence for the fatal attack.
Every day, hundreds of trucks carrying food and humanitarian aid will be allowed into Gaza, and experts say the Israeli lockdown in the past three months, which has eased slightly in recent days, has pushed the population to the brink of famine.
Why is it difficult to end the conflict?
Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapped 251 people. More than half of the hostages have been released in a ceasefire or other transactions. Israel rescued eight bodies and recovered dozens of them.
According to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, the military campaign that followed Israel killed more than 54,000 Palestinians, mainly women and children, and that doesn't say how many are civilians or combatants.
The offensive destroyed a vast area of Gaza and displaced 90% of the population about 2 million Palestinians, with thousands living in dirty tent camps and unused schools.
Hamas was greatly exhausted militarily and lost almost all of Gaza's top leaders. It is likely to be concerned that the release of all hostages without ensuring a permanent ceasefire would allow Israel to launch a more destructive campaign to eventually destroy the group.
Israel fears that a lasting ceasefire and evacuation will now have a major impact on Hamas in Gaza, even if it surrenders to formal power. Over time, Hamas may be able to rebuild military power and eventually launch more October 7 style attacks.
Netanyahu also faces political restrictions: his far-right alliance partner threatens to lower his government if he ends the conflict too early. This would make him more vulnerable to prosecutions on long-term corruption charges and investigate the failure of the October 7 attack.
The Israel-Palestinian conflict for decades seems to be farther away than ever.
The Palestinians are weak and divided, with the current Israeli government (the most nationalist and religious person in its history) opposing Palestinian national demands on Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem, Israeli territory occupied in the 1967 Central and Eastern conflict.
The last serious peace talks 15 years ago broke down.
– Smith (Magdy) reported from Cairo.
& Copy 2025 Canadian Press
