Israeli Hama negotiations to extend the Gaza ceasefire were in Limbo on Thursday as the Trump administration turned its attention to talks with Russian authorities in Moscow over the Ukrainian war.
Trump's Middle Eastern envoy, Steve Witkov, was expected to leave Gaza's latest round in Qatar's Gulf Emirates for Russia on Thursday. Trump effectively accused Witkov of working to resolve two of the world's most difficult conflicts: wars in Gaza and Ukraine.
This week's latest round of indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas in Doha's Qatar capital produced almost fruit amidst the inconsistencies that have been entrenched about the next step in the transaction, according to Israeli officials familiar with the meetings discussed on condition of anonymity.
In mid-January, both sides finally concluded Israeli military campaign against Hamas in Gaza, where Palestinian extremists agreed to a multi-form ceasefire in which Israel and foreign hostages were released. The ceasefire began with a six-week pause in the battle in which Hamas released more than 30 hostages in exchange for Israel's more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners.
In the early stages of the armistice, Israel and Hamas were intended to negotiate a second stage, envisaging the end of the war, the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, and the release of all surviving hostages still held in the territory.
But both sides remain far apart about how to proceed. Israel still vows to destroy Hamas and insists on demilitarizing Gaza. Hamas has largely refused to disband the armed battalion.
The 42-day first phase has continued to be a fragile ceasefire without it, at least for now, but it passed in early March without trading in the second phase.
Israeli critics accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of limping into the agreement for fear of loosening his grip on power. His far-right allies in the Governing Union are pressing them to continue their war with Hamas despite concerns from the remaining hostage families and concerns that their loved ones may not survive.
According to the Israeli government, up to 24 living hostages are still being held in Gaza, along with more than 30 other bodies still captured in Gaza. Hamas seized about 250 people in the attack on October 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 people in Israel, igniting a devastating 15-month war in Gaza.
Earlier this month, Israel imposed strict restrictions on humanitarian assistance entering Gaza, banning the intrusion of food and other much-needed goods. Israeli authorities later cut off electricity to a wastewater treatment centre in Gaza.
It prompted the fear of Gaza's revived humanitarian crisis. Since ceasefires and aid trucks began to enter freely, widespread wartime deprivation has been somewhat eased.
Qatar, which has intermediated a ceasefire with Egypt and the United States, has criticised Israel's decision to close the intersection in support of the ceasefire agreement.
Last week, Trump's pick of hostages, Adam Berer met with Qatar's senior leader in Hamas and avoided the ceasefire of MO death. The talks broke with a long-standing US precedent that it generally refused to negotiate directly with Hamas, a US-designated terrorist group.
However, even these efforts focused on liberating Edan Alexander, the remaining Israeli-American prisoner, did not create a consensus to secure the release of the other four bodies. Secretary of State Marco Rubio later called the attempt “one-time fruit.”
