Following Hamas' hardened stance this past week, emboldened by European recognition of a Palestinian state and the overwhelming success of its starvation campaign, Jerusalem has signaled that a partial deal is off the table.
This move follows a key meeting in Jerusalem between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US envoy Steve Witkoff, who has been sent by US President Donald Trump to manage the Gaza situation.
Surprisingly, plans for escalating the war were also shelved after the meeting, with both Israel and the US instead exploring a comprehensive deal: the end of the war in exchange for the release of all hostages.
A senior Israeli official said after the over two-hour meeting that "an understanding is emerging between Israel and the US that in light of Hamas' refusal, we must shift from a framework for the release of some hostages to one that aims to release them all, dismantle Hamas' arsenal, and demilitarize the Strip."
"Hamas slammed the door shut"
The joint Israeli-American demands for Gaza's demilitarization and the disarmament of Hamas remain the main conditions for ending the war under any new agreement, conditions Hamas has thus far consistently rejected.
Could the new proposal pave the way for a breakthrough? Jerusalem remains cautiously optimistic. A senior official told Israel Hayom that even the previous, now-defunct deal had been designed to eventually end the war. "Hamas slammed the door shut on a deal that was supposed to be a corridor to end the war. Now we have to decide on the next steps in the Strip," they said, adding, "there's no chance we'll unilaterally declare an end to the war."
According to the same official, the US is also dissatisfied with how talks have unfolded so far in Doha, even before Hamas rejected the latest proposals. As a result, alternative negotiating channels are now being considered, ones that would compel Hamas to accept a framework for ending the war, releasing the hostages, and disarming Gaza. The earlier demand to exile Hamas leaders from the Strip appears to have been dropped for now.
Concurrently, Netanyahu and Witkoff agreed that Israel and the US will work to significantly increase humanitarian aid to Gaza, even as military operations continue.
$30 million in humanitarian aid
Despite increased humanitarian deliveries in recent days, global concern about the dire conditions in Gaza prompted Witkoff to examine the situation on the ground on behalf of President Trump. Today, Witkoff is expected to visit aid distribution centers in Gaza with US Ambassador Mike Huckabee and IDF commanders to "assess the situation firsthand."
White House Press Secretary Caroline Lewitt said, "Envoy Witkoff had a positive meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu about the humanitarian situation in Gaza. He will visit Gaza to inspect food distribution facilities and meet with residents to hear directly about conditions on the ground."
Witkoff will then brief President Trump to finalize a $30 million US aid package for Gaza, which will support the American humanitarian fund and is expected to be approved after the visit, she added.
The revamped Israeli-American strategy, to flood Gaza with aid while planning a comprehensive deal to end the war, reflects the mood in Netanyahu's circle following the collapse of the Doha talks. Israeli concerns about being drawn into an open-ended conflict, coupled with Hamas' persistent refusal to budge, have driven the renewed push to revive negotiations.
No "paper demilitarization"
If Hamas continues to reject the offer, Israel is expected to fall back on contingency plans discussed this week in the security cabinet, including annexing parts of the Gaza Strip and imposing a full blockade on areas under Hamas control.
Netanyahu does not have unlimited political latitude to end the war without firm guarantees of Hamas' disarmament, but as ultra-Orthodox parties have made clear, he still possesses a coalition majority to approve any deal, even under threat of withdrawal by far-right ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich.
But, will Netanyahu himself yield to Hamas' terms at this stage and accept mere paper demilitarization? If his own statements over the past two years are to be believed, he will settle for nothing less than Hamas' defeat as the path to total victory. Without Hamas' agreement, this amounts to little more than another diplomatic maneuver paving the way for continued war in Gaza.
Meanwhile, the terrorist organization Hamas has publicly rejected the terms of ending the war in exchange for disarmament. In an official response, Hamas stated, "The resistance cannot give up its weapons unless our people's rights are fully restored and our sovereign state is established. Weapons are our right as long as the occupation continues."
A senior Hamas figure also criticized Witkoff's visit to Gaza, calling it "a propaganda show meant to contain the outrage over the US-Israel partnership in starving Gaza's residents." Hamas further accused Witkoff of seeing only "what the occupation wants him to see" and "watching the tragedy through Israeli eyes." The organization also condemned the White House for recognizing the famine in Gaza "after denying it, without condemning the occupation responsible for this crime," calling it "an absolution of the criminal."
Later, Hamas issued a formal statement declaring it is "ready to resume negotiations if aid enters Gaza and the humanitarian crisis and famine end."
Meanwhile, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum issued a statement: "Belatedly, the Israeli government has realized what the public has been saying for over a year: partial deals make no moral or operational sense. This failed approach has endangered the hostages and the chances of bringing them home."
The group emphasized that "shifting toward a comprehensive deal to return all hostages in one agreement has long been a necessity."
