Posted on 07/12/25
| News Source: Arutz-7
A political source stated that if Hamas had accepted the Qatari proposal, an agreement could have been reached and 60 days of negotiations for a permanent ceasefire could have begun, in line with Israel's objectives.
According to the source, talks in Doha are ongoing, including during the Sabbath, with the Israeli team working with the mediators from Egypt and Qatar while providing regular updates to the Prime Minister and Minister Dermer.
The team was sent to Doha after Israel accepted the Qatari proposal.
However, Hamas rejected the offer, hardening its stance, refusing to compromise, and waging a media war aimed at sabotaging the talks, misleading Gaza residents, and applying pressure on the public in Israel. The source noted that while Israel demonstrated flexibility, Hamas's refusal is preventing the mediators from advancing an agreement.
The Hostage Families Forum responded to the statement from the political source, saying: "Missing the current momentum would be a grave failure." The statement added, "This is a historic test for [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu: Will he choose the people of Israel, or the Smotrich-Ben Gvir axis? All polls and data show that an overwhelming majority of the Israeli public wants to end the fighting in Gaza and secure the return of all hostages, and agrees that this is Israel's interest, including a clear majority among coalition voters."
On Friday evening, Kan 11 reported that ceasefire negotiations in Doha reached a standstill over the past 24 hours.
The report noted that there has been no progress on several key issues - namely, the IDF’s withdrawal lines from Gaza, the identities of hostages and terrorists to be released, and guarantees for ending the war. However, there has also been no significant deterioration in the talks.
The only area where some progress was reported concerns the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza. Meanwhile, US envoy Steve Witkoff has not yet departed for Doha to join the negotiations. He is reportedly waiting for a more advanced stage in the discussions before getting involved.
Separately, Al Jazeera published what it claimed was a map of the IDF’s deployment plan during a potential ceasefire, reportedly presented by Israel in the talks. According to the report, Israel is insisting on keeping IDF forces along the Morag Axis, which would leave the entire Rafah area under Israeli control.
The network, citing unnamed sources, claimed this was part of a plan to concentrate Gaza’s population in Rafah ahead of their potential expulsion to Egypt or by sea.
The sources further alleged that Israel intends to retain control over 40% of the Gaza Strip, thereby preventing approximately 700,000 Palestinians from returning to their homes and forcing them into areas under Israeli control in Rafah.