A new round of indirect negotiations between Hamas and Israel started on Sunday after the mediators—Qatar, Egypt and the U.S.—submitted a proposal for a 60-day ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, is scheduled to travel to Qatar this week to participate in talks aimed at securing a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of Israeli captives by Hamas.
“Witkoff intends to travel to Doha later this week where he will continue to engage in these discussions,” Karoline Leavitt, White House Press Secretary, told reporters in Washington on Monday.
A new round of indirect negotiations between Hamas and Israel started on Sunday after the mediators—Qatar, Egypt and the U.S.—submitted a proposal for a 60-day ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
“The Qataris and the Egyptians have been incredibly helpful partners in mediating these negotiations and discussions to bring peace to this region and end this conflict once and for all,” Leavitt added.
Last week, Trump announced that Israel had agreed to “the necessary conditions to finalise” the deal. Hamas then submitted its response on Saturday, describing it as being delivered in “a positive spirit”.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office rejected the proposal submitted by Hamas, calling the changes “unacceptable to Israel” without providing further details.
A key point of contention throughout the stalled negotiations has been Netanyahu’s rejection of completely halting the genocidal war on the Gaza Strip and withdrawing Israeli forces.
Netanyahu is currently in Washington where he is holding meetings with Trump and key U.S. officials, with the agenda focusing on the ongoing efforts to reach a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli prime minister told reporters during a dinner on Monday that Israel and the U.S. were discussing plans to find countries that would “give the Palestinians a better future” in what is widely considered a plan to occupy the Strip and force out its population.
“We’re working with the United States very closely about finding countries that will seek to realise what they always say, that they wanted to give the Palestinians a better future. I think we’re getting close to finding several countries,” Netanyahu said.
Trump said he had “great cooperation from surrounding countries”.
“We’ve had great cooperation from[…]surrounding countries, great cooperation from every single one of them. So something good will happen,” Trump said.
Since taking office in January this year, Trump has repeatedly presented plans to “relocate” Palestinians from the Gaza Strip and take over the territory. Such statements have been rejected by Palestinians in the besieged enclave who want to remain in their homeland.
Meanwhile, the resumption of negotiations has renewed hope for a deal that would end Israel’s genocidal war in the Gaza Strip that has triggered a deepening humanitarian catastrophe.
Since October 7, 2023, Israel has killed more than 61,700 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, although the figure is an estimate given that thousands are still trapped under the rubble.
Starvation has been dangerously on the rise due to Israel’s complete blockade of the territory, preventing the entry of life-saving assistance.
The Gaza Strip’s health sector has also collapsed due to the absence of resources and continued targeted attacks on medical facilities by occupation forces.
Israel has long used the return of the captives as the pretext for the brutal onslaught on Palestinians. Some 50 captives remain in the Gaza Strip, with 20 believed to be alive while the others have been killed by Israel’s continued bombardment of the area.
