Conflicting Claims Over Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Talks Sow Confusion

Miami Herald

27-05-2025

JERUSALEM -- Israel, the United States and Hamas have sent conflicting messages in recent days about progress in ceasefire talks that would free hostages still held in the Gaza Strip, amid mounting pressure from President Donald Trump to end the war.
As they press a renewed offensive, Israeli forces have continued to launch strikes across the enclave. More than 70 people were killed Monday, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.
The deadly strikes came amid a series of contradictory comments about negotiations.
On Monday, the Hamas-run Al-Aqsa television channel said that the group had accepted a ceasefire proposal from Steve Witkoff, Trump's Middle East envoy.
Witkoff, however, quickly rejected that claim. 'What I have seen from Hamas is disappointing and completely unacceptable,' he told the Axios news site.
Later that evening, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was hoping to announce progress in the talks 'if not today, then tomorrow.' But he later suggested that he had been speaking figuratively and blamed Hamas for the impasse.
On Tuesday, Basem Naim, a Hamas official, doubled down on the group's claim. 'Yes, the movement has accepted Mr. Witkoff's proposal,' he wrote on social media, adding that Hamas was awaiting Israel's response.
The exchange reflected the confusion surrounding the indirect ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas to free the dozens of remaining hostages held in Gaza and end Israel's offensive.
Israel and Hamas refuse to negotiate directly. The result has been a yearlong process of back-channel discussions involving Middle Eastern intelligence chiefs, U.S. government officials and various other middlemen.
Qatar, which hosts members of Hamas' political leadership, and Egypt, which borders Gaza, have passed messages along between the two sides. The United States has also been involved in the talks, first under the Biden administration and now under Trump.
Trump has appeared to become increasingly impatient with the protracted war in Gaza. 'Israel, we've been talking to them, and we want to see if we can stop that whole situation as quickly as possible,' Trump told reporters in New Jersey on Sunday.
Earlier this month, the U.S. administration opened its own communication channel with Hamas to negotiate the release of Edan Alexander, the last living hostage with American citizenship.
Some of Israel's other traditional allies have become increasingly critical and denounced Netanyahu's plans to launch a massive new ground offensive in Gaza against Hamas, as well as the country's two-month blockade on all aid entering the territory. Last week, Israel finally began allowing some aid into the territory, but aid agencies say it is far from enough for Palestinians, who have faced widespread hunger and deprivation.
The war in Gaza began Oct. 7, 2023, when a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel killed about 1,200 people and led to about 250 others being taken hostage. The subsequent Israeli campaign in Gaza has killed more than 53,000 people, according to Palestinian health officials, who do not distinguish between civilians and combatants.
In January, Israel and Hamas agreed to a multiphase ceasefire deal that would have ultimately ended the war and freed the remaining hostages. Israel ended the truce in mid-March when it launched a new offensive, citing deadlock in talks over details of the next phase of the agreement.
In recent days, Bishara Bahbah, a Palestinian American businessperson, has sought to broker a new ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas on behalf of Witkoff, according to two Israeli officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
After Hamas said it had accepted the proposal, one of the Israeli officials said that the offer Bahbah had floated to Hamas differed significantly from earlier U.S.-backed frameworks acceptable to Israel.
The back-and-forth and lack of clarity has left both Palestinians in Gaza and the families of Israelis held hostage by Hamas alternating between hope and despair.
Einav Zangauker, whose son Matan was abducted during the Hamas-led attacks, accused Netanyahu of 'psychological terrorism' for his remarks Monday evening.
'I'm fed up,' she wrote on social media. 'Just bring my son back already.'
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
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