A new round of negotiations in the Qatari capital, Doha, aiming to reach a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement has started, coinciding with Israel’s escalating aggression on the Gaza Strip, Israeli media reported Saturday.
“Negotiations in Doha resumed an hour ago, with Qataris shuttling between the rooms of the Israeli and Hamas delegations,” in an effort to bridge gaps, the daily Israel Hayom stated.
The newspaper added that the US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff is following developments of the negotiations via telephone.
Quoting an unnamed Israeli source, the Israeli Channel 12 added: “Hamas must realize that it needs to accept Witkoff’s proposal; otherwise, the ground operation will begin soon.”
Israel insists on the Witkoff plan, formulated two and a half months ago, which requires Hamas to release 10 living hostages and half of the deceased hostages as a precondition for negotiations and a 45-day ceasefire, without any commitment to ending the war, terms Hamas rejects.
The channel also cited unnamed Israeli security sources, stating: “There is still a window to complete the deal.”
“So far, there has been no breakthrough in the talks,” KAN added.
Later, Israel’s public broadcaster, citing unnamed informed sources, reported that the broad outlines of a potential deal under discussion in ongoing Doha negotiations between Israel and Palestinian factions in Gaza include the immediate release of 10 living Israeli hostages and a ceasefire lasting between six and eight weeks.
The sources added that the proposed deal also requires Hamas to submit a list of the names of both living and deceased hostages within 10 days of the agreement’s implementation.
The negotiations also addressed the possible release by Israel of between 200 and 250 Palestinian prisoners; however, this point remains a subject of disagreement among the negotiating parties.
In the same context, Israel’s Channel 12 reported that the Israeli negotiation team will remain in Doha for at least one more day.
As of 1800GMT, neither Qatar, Hamas, nor Israel has issued an official comment regarding the Israeli media reports on the negotiations.
Earlier Saturday, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz claimed: “With the launch of Operation Gideon’s Chariots in Gaza, led with great force by the Israeli army, the Hamas delegation in Doha announced a return to negotiations on a hostage deal, contrary to the refusal stance they had taken up until that moment.”
On Friday, the Israeli army announced the expansion of its mass military offensive in Gaza under the operation titled “Gideon’s Chariots.”
According to KAN, “Gideon’s Chariots” aims to occupy the entire Gaza Strip, a plan approved by Israel’s Security Cabinet earlier this month, followed by mobilization of tens of thousands of reservists.
During Trump’s four-day Gulf tour, Israeli forces killed over 378 Palestinians, nearly four times the number of casualties recorded in the four days preceding the tour, according to Anadolu tracking of Gaza’s Health Ministry data.
Since March 2, Israel has barred all supplies, including food, water, and medicine, from entering Gaza.
Israel also abandoned the ceasefire and resumed bombarding Gaza on March 18. The death toll since October 2023, when the war began, has crossed 53,200.