Despite Hamas' rejection of the updated proposal presented by US envoy Steve Witkoff, negotiations through mediators have not ceased. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, following an initial consultation on Friday evening, will convene the Cabinet on Saturday night to receive a briefing from the negotiation team and make decisions regarding the next steps.
According to senior officials, the meeting will address strategies to continue negotiations in order to secure the release of more hostages while simultaneously renewing military pressure. The Cabinet will discuss the IDF plans for resuming combat operations, including the necessary timeline for implementation. Meanwhile, the negotiation team, which returned to Israel today, has been instructed not to "unpack their bags" in case they need to return to Doha or Cairo for further talks.
US: Hamas is preventing an agreement
A senior political source explained that US pressure on Hamas, as evident from statements by envoy Witkoff and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, could influence the terrorist organization to soften its stance and accept the envoy's framework.
Based on Washington's response to Hamas' rejection, the Americans view the Islamist terror group as the primary obstacle to reaching an agreement. The message conveyed to Hamas was that Israel would receive full backing for any military operation or measure it decides to take.
These developments followed intense discussions in Doha over recent days, as well as a strategic move by Israel to test Hamas' response. On Wednesday, Witkoff presented his updated proposal to both Hamas (via mediators, not directly) and Israel, details of which were published in Israel Hayom.
Israeli officials had already anticipated that Hamas would reject the revised plan, so they decided to wait for its official response. The Israeli delegation remained in Doha, and as expected, Hamas rejected the offer. The organization stated that it agreed to the release of only one captive soldier, Idan Alexander, along with the remains of four hostages. However, this statement was deliberately misleading, as it referred not to Witkoff's proposal but rather to part of an earlier offer by US envoy Adam Boehler, who had direct contact with Hamas.
Intensive negotiations moving forward
Witkoff's proposal, as previously reported, included the release of 11–12 living hostages in two phases, along with the remains of approximately 18 captives, in exchange for the resumption of humanitarian aid and electricity supply to Gaza, as well as the initiation of intensive negotiations for a more comprehensive agreement. Hamas, in its statements, confirmed the details of this proposal, including its demand for an Israeli withdrawal from the Philadelphi Corridor and the commencement of discussions on a second phase as initially agreed upon in the deal.
Despite the current deadlock, Israeli officials still hope that American pressure on Qatar and Egypt will lead to some shift in Hamas' position. There is speculation that Israel might make concessions on humanitarian aid, which could facilitate at least two additional phases of hostage releases.
However, the prevailing assessment remains that even in such a scenario, after the release of some hostages, Hamas will continue to maintain its fundamental refusal to compromise on the primary point of contention - its armed presence and influence in the Gaza Strip. This stance is expected to lead to the resumption of Israeli military operations.
