Israel-Hamas ceasefire: Trump touts but Gaza truce still has stumbling blocks

Hamas has not yet agreed or denied a 60-day ceasefire proposal by the US that President Donald Trump has said Israel has accepted, although Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not publicly addressed it.

It is this lack of overall communication and negotiation that is stalling peace in Gaza. Despite US mediation, Israel and Hamas remain at odds over key conditions for a proposed 60-day cease-fire and hostage release deal.

The two sides have publicly rejected the other’s red lines, making compromise difficult even as humanitarian pressure mounts. Trump and international mediators push for a breakthrough, but mutual distrust and shifting priorities, like Israel’s potential focus on rescuing hostages over military victory, are complicating negotiations.

‘Eager to resume talks’

Meanwhile, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar has said that the country is eager to resume negotiations with Hamas over a ceasefire agreement “as soon as possible”.

“There are some positive signs. But our goal is to begin proximity talks as soon as possible,” Saar told reporters, referring to the details of the ceasefire that still need to be agreed upon through diplomacy.

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At the same time, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday vowed to eradicate Hamas. “We will free all our hostages, and we will eliminate Hamas. It will be no more,” he said.

Hamas said in a statement that it was studying the latest proposals and aiming “to reach an agreement that guarantees ending the aggression, achieving the withdrawal (of Israeli forces from Gaza) and urgently aiding our people in the Gaza Strip”.

Possible terms of the deal

A Palestinian source familiar with the ongoing mediated negotiations told AFP that the new proposal on the table shows “no fundamental changes” compared to earlier terms presented by the United States. This suggests that the underlying framework of the talks remains largely the same.

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The source explained that the revised proposal includes a 60-day truce. During this period, Hamas would release half of the Israeli captives still alive in Gaza, in exchange for Israel freeing a number of Palestinian prisoners and detainees.

As of now, 49 hostages from the 251 captured by Palestinian militants in October 2023 remain in Gaza. According to the Israeli military, 27 of these hostages have already been confirmed dead.

With inputs from agencies