Israel heads to Qatar for Gaza talks despite calling Hamas demands ‘unacceptable'
Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to the talks despite calling Hamas 's proposed changes to the mediator-backed plan 'unacceptable', his office said.
The prime minister's security cabinet held a meeting late on Saturday after Hamas said it had delivered a 'positive response' to the proposal for a 60-day ceasefire and was 'fully prepared and serious' about immediately entering a new round of negotiations.
'The changes that Hamas is seeking to make in the Qatari proposal were conveyed to us last night and are unacceptable to Israel,' Mr Netanyahu's office said in a statement on Sunday.
However, it added: 'In light of an assessment of the situation, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has directed that the invitation to proximity talks be accepted and that the contacts for the return of our hostages - on the basis of the Qatari proposal that Israel has agreed to - be continued. The negotiating team will leave tomorrow.'
The US-led ceasefire talks have appeared to gain momentum ahead of Mr Netanyahu's visit to Washington. The Israeli prime minister is set to leave on Sunday to meet the US president Donald Trump, who has been pushing for a ceasefire.
It remains unclear what specific changes Hamas has requested to the US-led ceasefire proposal.
According to Al Jazeera, Hamas has made three core demands for amending the current ceasefire proposal: a long-term resolution to end the war after the 60-day pause, the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza without the involvement of the US and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the territory.
The US plan envisages the staggered release of 10 living Israeli hostages held by Hamas, as well as the return of the bodies of 18 others, in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails and a halt to the bombing of Gaza.
Mr Trump, who announced the 'final proposal' for a 60-day ceasefire, said that Israel had accepted the 'necessary conditions' to end the hostilities. He posted on Truth Social that he wanted to be 'very firm' with Mr Netanyahu during their talks and planned to issue a warning to Hamas.
'I hope, for the good of the Middle East, that Hamas takes this Deal, because it will not get better — IT WILL ONLY GET WORSE,' Mr Trump wrote.
However, Mr Netanyahu is likely to face opposition within his own government, with some right-wing members demanding the complete destruction of Hamas.
Itamar Ben-Gvir, the national security minister, wrote on X on Saturday night that the Israeli military must reconquer the entire enclave, halt all humanitarian aid, and encourage the people of Gaza to emigrate.
'The only way to achieve victory and securely return our hostages is through the complete conquest of the Strip, a total cessation of 'humanitarian' aid, and the encouragement to emigration,' he said. 'I call on the prime minister to abandon the path of surrender and return to the path of victory.'
Meanwhile, in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Haifa, the families and supporters of Israeli hostages held a massive anti-government rally to demand the release of their loved ones. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum demanded a comprehensive deal to end the war and the release of the remaining hostages. Some 50 of the 200 people taken captive during the Hamas-led attacks of 7 October 2023 remain in Gaza. Israel believes some 27 of them are dead.
In Gaza, weary Palestinians expressed cautious hope after Hamas gave a 'positive' response late on Friday.
'We are tired. Enough starvation, enough closure of crossing points. We want to sleep in calm where we don't hear warplanes or drones or shelling,' said Jamalat Wadi, one of Gaza's hundreds of thousands of displaced people, speaking in Deir al-Balah.
Previous negotiations have stalled over Hamas demands for guarantees that further negotiations would lead to the war's end, while Mr Netanyahu has repeatedly pledged a 'total victory' over Hamas and has refused to withdraw from Gaza.
'Send a delegation with a full mandate to bring a comprehensive agreement to end the war and bring everyone back. No one must be left behind,' Einav Zangauker, mother of hostage Matan Zangauker, told the weekly rally by relatives and supporters in Tel Aviv.
Over 57,000 Palestinians, more than half of them women and children, have been killed in Gaza since the start of the war, according to Gaza's health ministry, which is led by medical professionals employed by the Hamas government.
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