Israeli Leaders to Discuss Hamas Response on Cease-Fire Proposal

Israeli ministers were set to meet Thursday evening to discuss Hamas’s response to a new proposal for a truce in Gaza and the release of hostages, as mediators sought to revive dormant talks for a cease-fire after nearly nine months of war.

On Wednesday, the Israeli government said in a statement that it was examining Hamas’s response to the latest proposal and would send its own reply to mediators. The discussions are based on a three-stage framework deal publicized by President Biden in late May and endorsed by the United Nations Security Council.

An Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said on Wednesday night that wide gaps between the sides remained but that Hamas’s response left potential to move forward in the talks. The official declined to offer further details.

For months, Israel and Hamas, alongside Qatar, Egypt and the United States, have held indirect talks over the potential cease-fire, which called for a three-stage truce in Gaza and the release of the remaining 120 living and dead hostages still held there. However, wide gaps remained on major issues, and the talks had been largely at a standstill since June.

The main stumbling blocks are related to a fundamental dispute: Hamas wants guarantees that the deal would lead to an end to the war and a full withdrawal of Israeli forces, while Israel has vowed to keep fighting until Hamas is destroyed and is also seeking postwar security control in Gaza.

In Israel, some influential members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition government have already expressed opposition to a potential deal with Hamas.