Efforts to broker a ceasefire and arrange the release of hostages in Gaza have stalled over the past 24 hours, according to a Friday evening report by Kan 11. Negotiations underway in Doha have failed to produce movement on several central points, putting the process at an impasse.
While the discussions haven’t broken down entirely, they have hit a deadlock over crucial matters, including where the IDF would withdraw to within Gaza, which hostages and terrorists would be exchanged, and what kind of assurances could be given to end the conflict altogether. Despite the gridlock, there have been no major setbacks or breakdowns either.
One area showing slight improvement involves the coordination of humanitarian assistance entering Gaza. However, U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff has not yet traveled to Doha to take part in the talks. Reports say he is holding off until the negotiations reach a more mature stage.
Meanwhile, Al Jazeera released what it said was a proposed map from the Israeli delegation outlining the IDF’s deployment during a possible ceasefire. According to the report, Israel wants to maintain control over the Morag Axis, a move that would place the entire Rafah region under Israeli military presence.
Unnamed sources quoted by the network alleged that this strategy is part of a larger Israeli plan to push Gaza’s residents into the Rafah area in preparation for a potential mass transfer to Egypt or relocation by sea.
These same sources also claimed that Israel intends to remain in control of roughly 40% of Gaza, thereby blocking an estimated 700,000 Palestinians from going back to their homes and instead forcing them into Israeli-controlled territory in Rafah.
Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu returned to Israel on Friday afternoon after spending four days in Washington. Before his departure, in an interview with Newsmax, Netanyahu shared guarded optimism about the possibility of securing the release of ten more Israeli hostages currently being held by Hamas.
“We have 50 left; 20 definitely alive, and some 30 that are not alive, and I want to take them all out,” he told Newsmax. “We now have a deal that supposedly we’ll get half of the living and half of the dead out, and so we’ll have 10 living left and about 12 deceased hostages. But I’ll get them out, too. I hope we can complete in a few days.”
The framework reportedly includes a proposed 60-day halt in fighting, during which hostages would be released in phases, followed by renewed negotiations aimed at achieving a permanent cessation of hostilities. Netanyahu reiterated that the war could end immediately “if Hamas lays down its arms.”
During his visit to Washington, Netanyahu met on Wednesday with relatives of the hostages. In that meeting, he made it clear that a deal to secure the release of every hostage is currently not in reach.
“We can’t get a comprehensive deal. There was no such option on the table,” Netanyahu told the families.
When asked to clarify which hostages would be released under the proposed deal, he responded: “Hamas is the one that decides this.”
The Prime Minister’s Office later stated that Netanyahu emphasized the hostage situation in his discussions with President Trump and his team and that “great efforts are made continuously to bring about the release of all of our hostages, both the living and the deceased.”
{Matzav.com}