What Israel and Hamas have said about truce talks
Here’s a look at what Israel and Hamas have said about truce talks in recent weeks:
April 7: Talks in Cairo
- Hamas and Israel send negotiators to Cairo for mediated talks
April 8: ‘No progress’
- Egyptian security sources tell state-run Al Qahera News that some progress was made in Cairo and that both sides made concessions that would pave the way for a deal that – as proposed during previous talks – would be staggered over three stages with the release of the remaining Israeli captives and a long-term ceasefire addressed in the second stage.
- The sources say the concessions relate to the release of Israeli captives and Hamas’s demand for the return of displaced residents to northern Gaza. They say mediators suggested the return could be monitored by an Arab force in the presence of Israeli security deployments that would later be pulled back.
- But a Hamas official tells Reuters that no significant progress was made.
April 13: Hamas sticks by demands
- Hamas rejects the latest proposal.
- The group stands by its demands for a “permanent ceasefire, the withdrawal of the occupation army from the entire Gaza Strip, the return of the displaced to their areas and places of residence, intensification of the entry of relief and aid, and the start of reconstruction”.
April 25: Hamas ‘serious’ about captives deal
- Khalil al-Hayya, the deputy head of Hamas in Gaza, tells Al Jazeera Arabic that Hamas “is serious about releasing Israeli captives” if an agreement which includes a permanent ceasefire in Gaza is reached.
- Two Egyptian security sources tell Reuters that Egypt asked Israel for a follow-up meeting and it believes Israel was more open to allowing displaced Gaza Palestinians to return to the north. Reuters adds the ability of civilians to return to the north and the pull-back of Israeli forces were the sticking points in previous rounds of negotiations.
April 26: Egypt makes renewed push
- An unnamed official tells Reuters that an Egyptian delegation met Israeli officials, looking for a way to restart truce talks.
- The official says Israel had no new proposals but was willing to consider an Egyptian proposal that would entail a limited truce in which 33 female, elderly and sick captives would be released.
April 27: Hamas studies Israel’s response
- Al-Hayya says Hamas has received an official response from Israel to its ceasefire proposal but does not provide details of what’s included. He says Hamas is studying the response before replying.
- Quoting two unnamed Israeli officials, US news site Axios says Israel’s proposal includes a willingness to discuss the “restoration of sustainable calm” in Gaza.
- Foreign Minister Israel Katz later tells local media that Israel “will suspend the operation” in Rafah if a deal is reached to release captives.
Hamas delegation to visit Cairo on Monday: Report
A Hamas official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the Reuters news agency that a delegation will visit Cairo on Monday for Gaza ceasefire talks. The official said the delegation will discuss a proposed ceasefire offered by mediators and Israel’s response.
On Saturday, senior Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya said the group was reviewing an Israeli proposal but gave no details. He added that the Israeli truce offer was in response to a Hamas proposal two weeks ago.
Truce means Netanyahu-led government has ‘no right to exist’
Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has urged Netanyahu not to back down from an assault on Rafah saying agreeing to Egypt’s ceasefire proposal would constitute a humiliating defeat to Hamas. Without eradicating the governing entity in Gaza, Smotrich said in a video statement addressed to Netanyahu: “A government headed by you will have no right to exist.”
Asked whether Smotrich – who is not a member of Netanyahu’s war cabinet – had details of any Egyptian proposal, his spokesman didn’t immediately comment.
Israeli military chief approves ‘continuation of war’ plans with Southern Command
The Israeli military’s chief of staff Herzi Halevi approved plans for the “continuation of war” in Gaza in a meeting with the head of the Southern Command Major-General Yaron Finkleman.
The military added in a statement on Telegram that all division and brigade commanders attended the meeting.
Hardline minister reiterates Israeli government ‘dismantled’ if truce agreed
Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir says if a ceasefire deal is approved it will lead to the dissolution of the Benjamin Netanyahu-led government.
On X, Ben-Gvir wrote a “reminder” to a previous post he made in January, saying, “Reckless deal = dismantling of the government.”
His comments come after hardline Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich warned Netanyahu’s government will have “no right of existence” unless Israel invades Rafah where Hamas battalions are allegedly based.
Israel’s Gantz warns government will have ‘no right’ to exist if deal rejected
Israeli war cabinet minister Benny Gantz says if the government rejects a deal to release captives in Gaza, it will “have no right to continue to exist”.
“Entering Rafah is important in the long struggle against Hamas. The return of our abductees, abandoned by the 7.10 government, is urgent and of far greater importance,” Gantz wrote on X.
“If a responsible outline is reached for the return of the abductees with the backing of the entire security system, which does not involve the end of the war, and the ministers who led the government on 7.10 prevent it – the government will not have the right to continue to exist and lead the campaign.”
Gantz’s comments contradict those of the far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who earlier warned that Netanyahu’s government would have “no right of existence” if it accepted a ceasefire deal and did not enter Rafah.
Agreement to the truce deal would represent the “death penalty for the hostages and immediate existential danger to the state of Israel”, said Smotrich.
Qatari official urges Israel and Hamas to reach a ceasefire
Speaking to Israeli media, Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari urged both Israel and Hamas to show “more commitment and more seriousness” in ceasefire negotiations.
In the interviews with the Haaretz daily and public broadcaster Kan, al-Ansari did not reveal details of the current state of the talks, other than to say they have “effectively stopped” with “both sides entrenched in their positions”.
“If there is a renewed sense of commitment on both sides, I’m sure we can reach a deal,” he said.
