Gaza ceasefire deal elusive

TWO weeks after Hamas accepted a peace proposal mediated by Egypt and Qatar, Israel has yet to issue a formal response. Instead, it has focused on bolstering its forces around Gaza City in preparation for an expanded offensive to seize the enclave’s largest urban center.

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Why has the ceasefire proposal - repeatedly revised and at times seemingly accepted by Israel in earlier rounds of negotiations — stalled once again, even as the immense suffering of both Palestinians and Israeli hostages grows and international calls for peace continue to mount?

The latest proposal was nearly identical to a previous one agreed by Israel, according to the Qatari mediators. It called for a 60-day ceasefire and prisoner exchange, under which Hamas would release 10 living hostages and 18 bodies, in return for the release of Palestinian prisoners and a surge of humanitarian aid into Gaza. During this fragile pause, negotiations toward a lasting truce were meant to proceed.

Hamas accepted this formula, a notable concession from its earlier stance that all negotiations must lead to a permanent end to the conflict. But Israel moved in the opposite direction, shifting its stance to endorse a “comprehensive deal”, one that would secure the release of all remaining hostages and dismantle Hamas entirely.

Israel’s demand marks a sharp departure from its previous position that it has been upholding over the first year of the conflict, which favoured a temporary ceasefire to secure the release of some of its hostages, while maintaining the ability to resume the fighting. During the previous two ceasefires in late 2023 and early 2025, over 100 hostages were released.

Critics argue that the shift in stance could be a deliberate strategy to prolong the conflict, as a comprehensive deal is a much more complicated one to achieve, if achievable at all.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s call for a resumption of talks might be a “buying time” tactic, using the discussions as a distraction while Israeli troops advance toward seizing the entire enclave, The National, an Abu Dhabi-based newspaper, quoted sources as saying.

Elusive as a short-term pause could be, a permanent truce is even further out of reach.