Doha talks on a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release remain stalled, with no progress on key issues like IDF withdrawal and release terms. Al Jazeera claims Israel aims to keep forces in Rafah and 40% of Gaza.
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| Hostage release in previous deal |
Ceasefire negotiations in Doha aimed at halting the fighting and securing the release of hostages have reached a standstill in the past 24 hours, according to a report by Kan 11 on Friday evening.
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.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu landed in Israel on Friday afternoon after a four-day visit to Washington. Speaking to Newsmax on Thursday, before he departed for Israel, Netanyahu expressed cautious optimism regarding the potential release of an additional ten living Israeli hostages held by Hamas.
"We have 50 left; 20 definitely alive, and some 30 that are not alive, and I want to take them all out," he told Newsmax. "We now have a deal that supposedly we'll get half of the living and half of the dead out, and so we'll have 10 living left and about 12 deceased hostages. But I'll get them out, too. I hope we can complete in a few days."
The proposed deal reportedly includes a 60-day ceasefire, during which the initial group of hostages would be released, followed by further negotiations to end the conflict. Netanyahu asserted that the conflict could cease immediately "if Hamas lays down its arms."
On Wednesday, Netanyahu met with family members of hostages in Washington, DC. During the meeting, the Prime Minister made clear that a deal to free all the hostages is not on the agenda at this stage.
- "We can't get a comprehensive deal. There was no such option on the table," Netanyahu told the families.
- When asked which hostages would be released in the deal, he answered: "Hamas is the one that decides this."
The Prime Minister's Office stated that during the meeting with the families, Netanyahu noted that the issue of the hostages was discussed extensively during his meetings with President Trump and his team, and that "great efforts are made continuously to bring about the release of all of our hostages, both the living and the deceased."
(Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)
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