Both Israel and Hamas had shown over the weekend that efforts to make a new ceasefire effort in Gaza were underway, not more than two weeks after the collapse of a temporary ceasefire and the resumption of Israeli air and ground campaigns.
Hamas said on Saturday it had accepted the proposal for a new ceasefire. Israel also said it had responded to the proposal through a third-party mediator and worked with the US to respond in response.
“Military pressure is working,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement at the start of its weekly cabinet meetings on Sunday, adding that Israel “suddenly saw a crack” in Hamas’ position.
More than 900 people have been killed since Israel resumed its attacks on the Gaza Strip on March 18, Enclave’s health ministry said on Saturday. The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.
Although neither side released proposals or counterpart details, official briefings on the consultations suggested that they broadly reflect what they have come up with over the past few weeks. There were no indications that a breakthrough was imminent, but the official statement suggested that contacts over the deal were ongoing, even if the war continued, after weeks of fruitless negotiations.
On Sunday, the Palestinian Red Crescent Association said it had recovered the bodies of eight emergency medical technicians, five civil defense personnel and UN employees in Rafa, southern Gaza. The medical institution said it lost contact with nine crew members more than a week ago after being fired directly by Israeli forces.
Israeli forces said in a statement late on Sunday that on March 23, the troops fired fire on several vehicles “doublely going” towards the troops without headlights, emergency signals or prior adjustments.
The military added that the initial assessment determined that the military had eliminated Hamas operatives and eight other “terrorists” without explaining the relationship between the emergency in which the military was killed and the rescue personnel. The military provided no evidence of the claim.
What did Hamas say?
Hamas official and negotiator Khalil al-Haiya said in a speech on Saturday that his group received a proposal for a new ceasefire from Egyptian and Qatar mediators two days ago, adding that Hamas “responded and approved.”
He did not detail the terms, but recent negotiations, including an extraordinary in-person meeting between us and Hamas officials, focused on securing the release of Edan Alexander, the only Israeli-American hostage believed to be still alive.
It was a non-starter for Israel. Israel had requested the release of 10 or 11 living hostages for a seven-week extension of the temporary ceasefire, based on previous proposals stemming from White House Middle Eastern Envoy Steve Witkov.
What did Israel say?
According to a statement from his office, after Al Heyya’s speech on Saturday, Netanyahu said he had held a series of consultations after receiving the proposal on Friday. Israel had sent opposals to the mediator hours ago, the statement added.
Officials who described The The Calks, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive diplomacy, said Israel is still sought the release of 10 living hostages to resume the ceasefire, and Egypt is behind the latest proposal.
According to Israel, up to 24 living hostages remain in Gaza, with 35 more remains. They were among the roughly 250 people who were taken prisoner during a deadly Hamas-led attack on Israel in October 2023, which sparked the war.
What are the main fixed points?
As long as the two are at odds on more fundamental issues, including not only agreeing to the number of hostages and Palestinian prisoners to be released, but also irreconcilable demands about the future of Gaza, the new ceasefire will likely be elusive.
Al Hayya said Hamas has pledged to reach an agreement that guarantees a permanent ceasefire and a full withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip.
“We don’t want anything new,” Al Heyya said on Saturday. “We want to respect what has been signed, what has been guaranteed by our guarantors and what has been approved by the international community.”
Israel is conditional on the end of the war with Hamas, abandoning Gaza’s arms and abandoning its control. Al-Haiya said the group’s “resistance weapons” are “red lines” as long as Israel occupys Palestine lands.
What has changed?
Israel and Hamas denounced each for the collapse of the first phase of the ceasefire, which came into effect in mid-January.
But both face increasing pressure to renew the armistice.
When the first phase of the ceasefire expired in early March, Israel halted all goods and humanitarian aid invasion into Gaza.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, more than 50,000 Gazaans have been killed in the war so far, with many of the enclaves being abandoned.
Protests then broke out against Hamas in Gaza. Protest activists said they were worried Hamas might accept another temporary ceasefire.
Netanyahu is also under pressure from within the country. Many Israelis accused him of extending the war in Gaza to maintain far-right members of his ruling coalition in order to ensure his political survival.
“We are committed to bringing hostages into the house,” Netanyahu said on Sunday that he refused to criticize the public. “The combination of military and diplomatic pressure is the only thing that will bring back hostages,” he added.
