Despite the return of Israeli and American delegations from Doha, Arab diplomats say the negotiations continue, but that a deal remains many days away due to the complexity of several issues.
According to a US source, the mounting difficulties in reaching an interim deal have raised the need to rethink the strategy, including the possibility of pursuing a comprehensive deal to end the war and secure the release of all hostages.
The source acknowledged that such a final deal would be even harder to achieve, given Hamas' intransigence regarding the terms for ending the conflict, but said that the prolonged nature of current talks is pushing that option to the forefront. He noted that this concept could involve a cease-fire during negotiations and the implementation of issues where there is partial agreement.
One of the main sticking points now is Hamas' latest demands regarding the release of terrorist prisoners in exchange for hostages. The organization is demanding the release of a significantly higher number of high-risk terrorists, those serving life sentences or lengthy terms for murdering Israelis, in exchange for just 10 hostages.
Hamas refused to engage on prisoner numbers for over two weeks during the Doha talks and only presented these new demands in the final day of discussions. Among them is a particularly outrageous demand: the release of live terrorists in exchange for the remains of hostages. When this was raised by Hamas negotiators last week, Egyptian officials erupted in anger, with a shouting match that lasted several minutes.
An Arab source told Israel Hayom that the Egyptians lashed out at Hamas representatives, accusing them of callous disregard for their own starving population in Gaza, and of being concerned only with their personal survival. A senior Palestinian official also slammed key Hamas leaders Khalil al-Hayya, Zaher Jabarin, and Nizar Awadallah, saying, "They are prepared to fight to the last drop of Gaza's children's blood while they themselves sit in villas in Qatar and Turkey. They don't understand that this round is over. They brought disaster upon the Gaza Strip and are now clinging to the remnants of their military power just to say they weren't defeated."
Notably, both Jabarin and Awadallah are close to Iran, which is reportedly pressuring Hamas to take a harder line in the Doha negotiations over a cease-fire. That pressure is said to be one of the main reasons a deal has not yet been signed.
Hamas was also taken aback by the harsh criticism from the US, voiced by both special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump, though mediators were not surprised.
"Hamas leadership is behaving as if it's still October 8, holding hundreds of hostages and controlling the entire Gaza Strip - not in the current reality where it controls almost nothing, tens of thousands of Palestinians are dead, the Strip's cities are in ruins, and the displaced are starving," an Arab official involved in the talks told Israel Hayom. He added that Arab states may soon pressure Hamas to allow the Palestinian Authority to take part in discussions, at least regarding humanitarian supply routes and assistance to the displaced.
"Israel, through its ongoing military operations, is responsible for the humanitarian crisis in Gaza," the official said, "but Hamas is obstructing humanitarian efforts, and responsibility should be transferred to a different Palestinian or Arab leadership."
Israel is unlikely to welcome the idea of involving the Palestinian Authority, which could re-enter the picture through the back door. However, given the dire humanitarian situation and international condemnation of Israel, it may be a scenario worth considering.
