The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office announced on Thursday that mediators had delivered Hamas’s response to a new proposal to the Israeli negotiation team.
Jerusalem confirmed that its delegation in Doha, Qatar had received the reply, which it said was being carefully assessed.
Later on Thursday, the PMO announced that, “in light of the response delivered by Hamas this morning,” the Jewish state had decided to return its negotiation team to Jerusalem for further consultations.
“We appreciate the efforts of the mediators Qatar and Egypt, as well as the efforts of [U.S. Mideast envoy Steve] Witkoff, to achieve a breakthrough in the talks,” the PMO statement added.
Since early July, Israel and the terrorist group have been engaged in indirect negotiations in the Qatari capital, aimed at securing a ceasefire and the release of hostages held in Gaza.
Israeli officials reportedly described the latest response as an improvement over previous ones.
Several key issues remain unresolved, including Hamas’s demands regarding the delivery of humanitarian aid, the withdrawal of Israeli forces and guarantees for a long-term resolution to the conflict.
U.S. State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce told reporters at Tuesday’s briefing that Steve Witkoff, U.S. special envoy to the Middle East, will travel this week to the “Gaza area” to continue negotiations that could “hopefully” lead to a truce.
A State Department official later told JNS that Witkoff “will travel to Europe this week for meetings on a wide range of issues, including Gaza, and will continue pushing for a Gaza ceasefire and peace deal,” but would not confirm whether Witkoff would then continue on to the Middle East.
Witkoff reportedly arrived at the Italian island of Sardinia on Thursday for continued talks with Israeli and Qatari officials regarding the deal.
If Hamas does not take the proposal on offer, “Israel is going to take some kinetic action,” U.S. Special Envoy for Hostage Response Adam Boehler warned in an interview with CNN on Sunday night.
The envoy said he was “optimistic” that a ceasefire agreement can be reached, “because [Witkoff] has been leaning in really closely on a deal and he’s done it with Israel.”
Boehler went on to say that “post-Israel winning [against] Iran there’s a new sense of ability to get something done. The Israelis want something done.”
When asked what it would take for Hamas to agree to a deal, Boehler said that “these are down to little details. ... I would say that Israel at this point is bending over backward; they’re redrawing maps. ... at this point, what you do, is you say, ‘Look, we’re going to take this deal, we’re going to let at least 10 hostages go.’”
Fifty hostages remain in Gaza, 49 of whom were abducted during the Hamas-led cross-border attack on Oct. 7, 2023. Additionally, the body of an Israeli officer, Lt. Hadar Goldin, has been held in Gaza since 2014.
According to Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the 50 individuals held in Gaza include 28 deceased abductees.
