Arab media claims hostage deal mediators are rushing to reach agreement before Gaza City takeover
Mediators for a hostage and ceasefire deal are rushing to reach an agreement ahead of Israel's operation that would take over Gaza City, Asharq News reported on Saturday, citing informed sources.
The Saudi-based news source cited sources claiming there are talks discussing a package of proposals to end the war, which includes the release of the remaining 50 hostages and a complete IDF withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.
The discussions also mentioned the exile of some Hamas military wing leaders and the establishment of a technocratic government to manage the Strip, supported by a police force.
The sources claimed that the mediators, who comprise US, Egyptian, and Qatari officials, have begun discussing these proposals with each other before conveying them to the two sides. The sources claimed there's a possibility of an agreement. The sources made additional claims, such as Hamas showing flexibility to reach an agreement.
Witkoff, Qatar PM to discuss new Gaza ceasefire plan
White House Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff met with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman al-Thani on Saturday to discuss comprehensive plans for the end of the Gaza war and the return of all the hostages, a source familiar with the details confirmed to The Jerusalem Post.
Axios first reported the meeting and said that an Israeli official stressed that Jerusalem would have no issue making a new deal, but expressed skepticism that Hamas would accept an agreement. The source said that 'the gap between Israel and Hamas regarding ending the war is huge, so talking of a comprehensive deal is likely to be pointless at this stage.'
The source added that Witkoff and al-Thani would take at least a week to formulate a new outline.
Those talks were just one of the diplomatic attempts in motion trying to head off Israel's plan to expand its Gaza offensive and occupy Gaza City.
Hamas's disarmament holds up Qatar-Egypt proposal
The meeting between Witkoff and al-Thani followed discussions between Qatar and Egypt on a new ceasefire-hostage deal proposal.
The new proposal would see the release of all hostages at once, both living and deceased, in return for an end to the war and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip, The Associated Press reported on Friday, citing two Arab officials.
One of the issues holding up the Egypt-Qatar plan is reportedly Hamas's disarmament. Current discussions center around 'freezing' Hamas's weaponry so that it can hold on to it but not use it. It also calls for Hamas to relinquish its power over Gaza.
The new framework proposes having a Palestinian-Arab committee run Gaza and oversee reconstruction efforts until a new Palestinian administration with a police force is established.
Hamas said on Thursday that the terror group would treat any force formed to govern Gaza as an 'occupying' force linked to Israel.
The international community has expressed its opposition to the security cabinet's plans, as did many in Israel, who held demonstrations urging a deal for the return of all the hostages and an end to the war.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said in a lengthy statement on Saturday night that following the Security Cabinet meeting on Friday, he has lost confidence that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seeks to lead the IDF to victory.
He called on the prime minister to reconvene the cabinet and announce that there will be no more pauses in the war, and no more partial deals.
'This time we proceed with a clear, sharp move toward a decisive outcome and victory – ending with Hamas's complete surrender and the return of all the hostages at once, or with its defeat and total destruction. Annex large parts of the Gaza Strip and open its gates to voluntary emigration,' Smotrich said.
'The prime minister and the cabinet succumbed to weaknesses, let emotion defeat reason, and once again chose more of the same: to launch a military move whose purpose is not a decisive outcome, but only to pressure Hamas into a partial hostage deal, stating clearly that if Hamas agrees to a deal, we too will agree to stop again, withdraw again, and allow it to recover and rearm again. And so on and so forth,' the finance minister said.
He said that sending tens of thousands of soldiers to risk their lives to operate in Gaza City, and 'to pay heavy political and international costs solely to pressure Hamas to release hostages and then to retreat' is immoral and illogical.
Until this time, 'for the sake of unity, I stood behind moves that in my view were less correct. I remained in the government despite terrible decisions such as releasing terrorist murderers with blood on their hands and painful withdrawals from areas captured at great cost – so long as I assessed we were striving for a decisive outcome and victory,' he said.
'A war should be fought to win, to the end – even if it carries heavy costs. But a partial move meant only to push Hamas back into the negotiating room, in national humiliation and capitulation to terror – absolutely not.'
Amichai Stein contributed to this report.
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