Hamas has softened its position in its latest Gaza ceasefire proposal but is sticking to key demands that remain a major obstacle to an agreement, according to two senior officials from countries involved in the negotiations.
This has dimmed prospects for an agreement in the near future, although U.S. and Israeli officials have expressed optimism that talks are moving forward after weeks of stalemate.
Hamas presented a counterproposal on Wednesday. Both officials said Hamas wanted international guarantees that the two sides would continue negotiations once an initial ceasefire takes effect, and would keep doing so until a final agreement is reached that ends the fighting and releases all hostages remaining in Gaza.
In effect, Hamas wants to ensure that Israel does not hand over many of the hostages just to restart the war, one of the officials said. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
Israeli negotiators quickly rejected that demand, both officials said. Israel wants the option to resume fighting if it deems it necessary. Without such leverage, Hamas could stagnate and effectively secure an undeclared permanent ceasefire, one of the officials argued.
At the heart of the conflict is the future of Gaza, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowing to destroy Hamas and its control over the Palestinian territories, which he hopes will be able to retain power through a permanent ceasefire.
Israeli military leaders are now increasingly arguing that a deal to bring home the remaining 120 hostages is the right way to go, even if it comes at the cost of Hamas remaining in power for the time being.
The talks are based on a three-phase framework first announced by President Biden in late May and later endorsed by the UN Security Council.
The two sides agreed to the broad outlines of a deal that includes a six-week ceasefire and the release of most civilian hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
During the ceasefire, Israel and Hamas will negotiate the next steps: an end to the war and the release of the surviving hostages, most of whom are soldiers.
The debate now is about what happens next.
With a deal now likely, CIA Director William J. Burns plans to travel to Doha next week to meet with Israeli, European and other intelligence chiefs to discuss a ceasefire agreement, according to two people briefed on the negotiations.
Burns is also likely to visit Israel to keep up pressure on the Israeli government to accept the agreement.
U.S. officials believe the revised agreement, which sets out the precise conditions for moving through each stage of the agreement, is enough to begin releasing the hostages after months of captivity.
But even if Israeli negotiators were able to reach a deal to end the war in Gaza, it is unclear whether Prime Minister Netanyahu's government would support it: Two senior members of his coalition government have ruled out a complete cease-fire, and Netanyahu himself has publicly wavered on whether he supports the framework.
Israel says about 120 hostages remain in Gaza out of some 250 people abducted in the Hamas-led attack, and Israeli officials estimate about a third of them have died.
During a week-long ceasefire in November, 105 people were released in exchange for 240 Palestinian prisoners, but Hamas has refused to release any more hostages without a path to a permanent ceasefire.
On Friday, an Israeli delegation led by Mossad spy chief David Barnea arrived in Qatar for the first time in weeks for further talks. Barnea met with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, who has served as one of the main intermediaries.
But in an unusual move, Barnea did not arrive with other Israeli security officials working to finalize the deal. He was accompanied by Ofir Faruk, a close aide to Netanyahu, the officials said.
The Israeli military and intelligence agency Shin Bet, which are involved in the negotiations, declined to comment.
Hamas made one key concession in its counterproposal, softening its stance on the terms of negotiations for the second phase of the ceasefire: The group wanted to keep the talks focused solely on which Palestinian prisoners would be released in exchange for hostages.
The concession follows weeks of pressure on Hamas from Qatar, which houses much of the Hamas militant group's political leadership in Doha, officials said.
But at the same time, Hamas has demanded guarantees from intermediaries, including the United States, that talks during the ceasefire will continue until a permanent ceasefire is negotiated and all surviving hostages are released, the officials said.
Israeli negotiators had already agreed that the six-week ceasefire could be extended as long as progress was made in the talks. Hamas' new language could be interpreted as allowing those talks, and the original ceasefire, to continue indefinitely, one of the officials said.
During the talks in Qatar, Barnea argued that Hamas' demands would be a fundamental departure from proposals adopted by the U.N. Security Council and Biden, the official said.
