Cautious optimism around Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal but hurdles remain

There is cautious optimism in Israel on reaching a Gaza ceasefire deal that would see the release of 10 Israeli hostages and as US President Donald Trump signals that a 60-day halt in fighting could be reached next week.

Diplomatic movement: Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer met with White House senior officials on Tuesday in Washington and a Hamas delegation was set to meet Wednesday in Cairo with Egyptian and Qatari representatives to discuss the new proposal.

President Donald Trump posted Tuesday on Truth Social that “Israel has agreed to the necessary conditions to finalize” a 60-day ceasefire with Hamas in the Gaza Strip. He did not specify what those conditions were.

Trump noted in his post that during the two-month ceasefire period, “We will work with all parties to end the war,” adding that Qatar and Egypt will deliver the “final proposal” to Hamas.

What’s being discussed: The original proposal from US special envoy Steve Witkoff, officially accepted by Israel at the beginning of March, included a two-month ceasefire, during which Hamas would release 10 living hostages and 15 bodies. In exchange, Israel would release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, partially withdraw from the Strip and facilitate the flow of humanitarian aid.

During the ceasefire, the sides were expected to negotiate the second phase, ending hostilities and releasing the remaining hostages. Hamas had set conditions for accepting the proposal, including guarantees that the war would end and that the Israeli military would fully retreat.

The Qatari outline proposed to Dermer in Washington resembles the Witkoff deal, but with eight living hostages to be released on the first day and two more on day 50. According to Israel public broadcaster Kan, 18 bodies would be released in three phases, and the Israeli military would partially withdraw from the Gaza Strip, while the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza would be considerably increased.

On Wednesday Haaretz cited an unnamed Israeli diplomatic source as saying that the Qatari outline does not include a promise by Israel to end the war after those 60 days, but does include strong guarantees from the American administration. A CNN report said that the Qatari outline was drafted last week after several months of efforts led by Witkoff. An American source told CNN that the new outline tries to address Hamas’ concerns over Israel’s willingness to end the fighting. Hamas, the CNN report read, had not yet reacted to the new outline.

The new outline is set to be discussed between Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu next week at the White House. Speaking to reporters Tuesday, Trump said that he will be “very firm” with Netanyahu on the need to end the war in Gaza and that Netanyahu also wants a Gaza ceasefire.

Hamas and Israeli hurdles: According to the Associated Press, Hamas suggested Wednesday that it was open to a ceasefire agreement with Israel, but repeated that it will only agree to a deal that would guarantee the end of the Gaza war. The report cited Hamas official Taher al-Nunu as saying that the group was “ready and serious regarding reaching an agreement” and that Hamas was “ready to accept any initiative that clearly leads to the complete end to the war.”

Trump warned the group on Tuesday on Truth Social, “I hope, for the good of the Middle East, that Hamas takes this Deal, because it will not get better — IT WILL ONLY GET WORSE.”

In order for a deal to be approved, Israel’s government must adopt it. Netanyahu’s far-right coalition partners have threatened a non-confidence vote that could topple the government if the deal is approved by the cabinet. Kan reported on Wednesday that National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir approached Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich about joining forces to stop it.

Foreign Minister Gideon Saar posted on X, “There is a large majority in the government and also within the Israeli people for the hostage-release outline. If the opportunity to go forward with the outline presents itself, we cannot miss it!”

Opposition leader Yair Lapid addressed Netanyahu on Wednesday, pledging to offer him a political safety net to ensure the deal is approved, saying, “We must bring all of them home now.”

Leader of the Democrats opposition party Yair Golan wrote on X, “This couple of failed Kahane followers who are trying to put together a bloc to foil the return of the hostages are not Zionist and are unworthy of sitting at the government table.”

Kan reported Tuesday on a spirited debate at the security cabinet between the two far-right ministers and Israeli military chief Eyal Zamir. Stressing that the military has practically reached the goal of eliminating the military capabilities of Hamas, Zamir reportedly said, “Hamas is dead,” citing the group’s firing of only one rocket during the recent 12-day war with Iran. Ben-Gvir and Smotrich have been pushing for the continuation of the military campaign.

According to the report, the Israeli military now controls 75% of the Gaza Strip.