Israelis pin ceasefire hopes on US pressure on PM Netanyahu
People in Israel who are hoping for a ceasefire deal are counting on US President Donald Trump – rather than Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – to secure an agreement.
There is broad consensus in Israel that without Trump’s pressure, Netanyahu wouldn’t have gone in the direction of a ceasefire for 60 days.
In the meantime, there are people who don’t want any deal. They don’t want any kind of ceasefire because they see it as an unacceptable concession.
According to many observers, Netanyahu is doing two things: on the one hand, he’s buying time until the end of the month, when the Knesset goes into recess and none of his allies can take down the government.
But in Washington, what he will be looking for are political dividends that go beyond Gaza in terms of ease of going back to the war on Gaza, on Iran, on Lebanon, and normalising relations with neighbours in the region.
Latest update on Gaza truce talks in Qatar
According to an Al Jazeera correspondent covering the ceasefire negotiations:
- Two sessions of indirect talks have been held so far – the first on Sunday night and the second on Monday morning.
- A third session is scheduled for 7pm in Doha (16:00 GMT).
- While there is a sense of optimism surrounding the talks, no progress has been made so far.
- The primary obstacle remains the delivery of humanitarian aid. Hamas insists aid be delivered through the traditional mechanism, led by the United Nations.
- The first session focused on this issue, but no breakthrough was achieved. The second session also ended without significant progress.
- Current negotiations are centred on establishing a general framework for the talks. If successful, they will pave the way for detailed discussions on the proposed truce, including the number of captives and prisoners to be exchanged and the process for a withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.
