Gaza ceasefire talks end with 'no breakthrough', to resume in evening

Al Mayadeen

19 hours ago

Efforts to secure a ceasefire in Gaza stalled once again on Monday, as indirect negotiations between "Israel" and Hamas ended their morning session in Doha without any breakthrough, according to a Palestinian official speaking to AFP, with talks set to resume later in the evening.
The negotiations, mediated by Qatar and Egypt and backed by the United States, aim to end the 21-month Israeli war on Gaza. Despite renewed urgency ahead of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Washington visit, progress remained slow.
'No breakthrough was achieved in the morning negotiation session, but the talks will continue, and Hamas hopes to reach an agreement,' the Palestinian official said, requesting anonymity due to the sensitivity of the discussions.
According to Palestinian sources cited by Reuters, "Israel's" ongoing refusal to allow the free and safe entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza is now the main obstacle to progress in the Doha talks. This humanitarian bottleneck has become a central sticking point, alongside disagreements over a permanent ceasefire and prisoner releases.
The latest round of negotiations comes as Netanyahu prepares to meet with US President Donald Trump in Washington later Monday. Trump, who has publicly pushed for a Gaza deal in recent weeks, expressed optimism earlier in the day: 'There's a good chance we have a deal with Hamas... during the coming week,' he told reporters.
Netanyahu echoed this sentiment before departing Tel Aviv, stating the meeting with Trump could 'definitely help advance this' agreement. He added that "Israel's" negotiation team in Doha had been given 'clear instructions' to reach a deal, though 'under the conditions that we have agreed to.'
Those conditions remain a sticking point. While the US-backed proposal includes a 60-day truce and a prisoner exchange, 10 living captives and several bodies in exchange for Palestinians held in Israeli prisons, the Palestinian resistance is reportedly demanding additional guarantees. These include assurances that fighting will not resume during ongoing talks, a framework for Israeli military withdrawal, the return of a UN-led aid distribution system, and, increasingly, unfettered humanitarian access into Gaza, guarantees Israeli officials have previously dismissed as 'unacceptable.'
Meanwhile, public pressure continues to mount inside "Israel". In Tel Aviv, dozens of demonstrators, including relatives of remaining captives, gathered outside the US diplomatic mission on Monday afternoon. 'President Trump — make history. Bring them all home. End the war,' read one protester's sign.
Past mediation efforts have yielded only two temporary ceasefires, both of which saw captive exchanges but failed to lay the groundwork for a lasting resolution.