Gaza mediators present updated offer, hope for ceasefire and hostage deal soon
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Palestinians walk through rubble in Gaza City. Photo: Omar Al-Qataa/AFP via Getty
Qatar, Egypt and the U.S. presented Israel and Hamas with an updated Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal proposal on Wednesday, two sources with direct knowledge tell Axios.
- The mediators believe recent concessions from Israel, which are incorporated into the updated proposal, could enable the parties to reach a deal soon, the sources say.
Why it matters: The deal under negotiation involves a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza, the release of 10 live hostages and the remains of 18 deceased hostages, the release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails, and a massive increase in humanitarian aid into Gaza.
- President Trump wants to use the 60-day ceasefire to negotiate a broader deal to end the war, including a new governance structure that excludes Hamas.
Driving the news: Negotiators from Hamas and Israel have been narrowing the remaining gaps in talks held in Doha over the past 10 days, Israeli officials and sources with knowledge of the discussions say.
- Trump met Wednesday at the White House with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and discussed the Gaza deal among other issues, sources say.
- While talks repeatedly broke down over the last four months since the previous ceasefire collapsed, the mediators currently feel that the gaps between the sides are bridgeable.
Behind the scenes: The Qataris pulled together all of the progress made over the last 10 days into a new proposal, which was presented jointly with the U.S. and Egypt to make clear to the parties that all three back it.
- The two main updates had to do with the scope of the Israel Defense Forces' withdrawal from Gaza during the ceasefire and the ratio of Palestinian prisoners to be released for each hostage.
Zoom in: Israel has made significant concessions about the amount of territory its military will continue holding during the ceasefire, according to Israeli officials and sources familiar with the talks.
- Israel had previously insisted on maintaining a presence in a zone stretching 5km north of the Philadelphi Corridor along the Gaza–Egypt border. Israel has reduced that demand to 1.5km, much closer to Hamas' demand that Israel withdraw to the same position as under the last ceasefire.
- Israel also agreed to keep the IDF in a perimeter about 1km wide along other parts of the border with Gaza, much closer to Hamas' position.
The updated proposal includes minor adjustments to the ratio of Palestinian prisoners to Israeli hostages to be released.
- Previous proposals involved the release of 125 Palestinians serving life sentences for killing Israelis and 1,111 Palestinians who were arrested by the IDF in Gaza after Oct. 7.
- An Israeli official said the adjustments in the updated proposal aren't expected to be a problem in the negotiations.
- However, the parties would still have to negotiate the names of the prisoners.
Another sticking point that's now close to being resolved is the delivery of aid into Gaza, the sources say.
- Hamas demanded that aid not be delivered through the U.S. and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation during the ceasefire.
- Israeli officials say that will be the de facto result of Israel agreeing to withdraw from most parts of southern Gaza where the aid centers are located.
- Israeli officials said a separate track of negotiations has been taking place in Egypt in recent days to determine how Egypt can play a role in delivering aid during the ceasefire so it won't be seized by Hamas.
What to watch: The Qatari prime minister is expected to meet with Hamas leaders in Doha on Saturday in an effort to get their agreement to the updated proposal.
- A source with knowledge of the negotiations said the Qatari mediators think the Israeli concessions about the withdrawal could open the way for a deal.
- The Qataris think Hamas will come back with some reservations and comments about the updated proposal, but not such that it will be a deal-breaker, the source said.
