Mohamed Khayal, editor-in-chief of the Egyptian newspaper Al-Shorouk, said in an interview with Arab media on Tuesday night that "unfortunately, there was no positive progress at Hamas' recent leadership meeting in Cairo with senior Egyptian officials. There was a major failure in achieving a breakthrough regarding ending the war – the main obstacle so far in the negotiations or any efforts related to the Gaza Strip."
Nevertheless, the senior Egyptian journalist shared some details from a meeting held Monday between Egyptian intelligence chief Hassan Rashad and Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer. According to Khayal, the meeting aimed to move the process forward after Israel rejected Hamas' earlier proposal for a temporary five-year ceasefire.
"According to available information, another initiative emerged after Israel's response to Hamas' proposal for a five-year truce, which included additional clauses related to regulating weapons use, rebuilding military infrastructure, and reconstruction in the Gaza Strip. Some of these details have been reported in the media, others have not," Khayal said.
He added that the Egyptian side proposed a six-month ceasefire during the meeting with Dermer, but Israel rejected this offer as well. The editor-in-chief stated that Dermer, for his part, offered a three-week temporary ceasefire, during which daily humanitarian aid would enter Gaza, but without Hamas participating in its distribution.
According to Khayal, this may reflect an Israeli attempt to deflect US pressure ahead of an upcoming visit to the Middle East by President Donald Trump.
Hamas awaits Qatar's position
Meanwhile, a source involved in the hostages' issue assessed that Hamas' position on the Egyptian proposal, which it has so far rejected, hinges on Qatar's stance.
According to the source, the key development that could lead to a breakthrough is the emerging willingness in Doha to adopt Egypt's proposal.
The source sharply criticized Qatar, saying, "Over the past month or two, Qatar has been undermining the Egyptian proposal." He added, "As long as they objected, a deal couldn't happen." For these reasons, the current outlook is somewhat more positive. However, the prevailing assessment in Jerusalem is that Hamas will ultimately reject the offer, potentially forcing Israel into a renewed, large-scale war.
It is worth noting that thousands of IDF reservists have already been told by their units to be on alert for possible immediate mobilization.
Israeli government officials are aware of the enormous burden on reservist units and the hardship faced by many soldiers being called back for repeated tours of duty. Nonetheless, the political leadership remains confident that, if a new major war breaks out, turnout rates will again surge.
