Ceasefire on Edge: Israel Warns Hamas Over Delays

A senior Israeli official on Friday accused Hamas of stalling in the ongoing hostage negotiations taking place in Doha, warning that the militant group’s foot-dragging could undermine progress toward a ceasefire deal.

Jerusalem is currently awaiting a response from Hamas to a revised Israeli proposal involving a partial withdrawal of IDF forces from Gaza, an offer that had previously raised mediator hopes of a breakthrough.

“Israel remains committed to pursuing the negotiations with Hamas to the end,” said the Israeli official during a media briefing.

“But the delays and evasions are casting serious doubt on Hamas’s willingness to reach an agreement.”

Frustration is mounting not only in Israel but also among international mediators.

Egyptian, Qatari, and U.S. officials involved in the talks have reportedly voiced displeasure with Hamas for taking days to respond to updated Israeli maps submitted on Wednesday,

This is according to an Arab diplomat and another source close to the process.

Egypt, in particular, is said to be growing increasingly impatient.

One Arab diplomat stated that Cairo has warned Hamas of potential consequences if it fails to accept the revised Israeli offer, so the parties can proceed to resolving other contentious issues.

As of early Saturday morning, Hamas was still in internal deliberations, leaving mediators in a holding pattern.

Nonetheless, a source involved in the negotiations suggested that the remaining issues could be resolved in the coming days, possibly by the end of next week.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu echoed that cautious optimism in a Friday phone conversation with Pope Leo XIV.

The call came after an Israeli tank shell mistakenly struck Gaza’s only Catholic church, killing three people.

According to Israeli media, Netanyahu apologized for the incident and noted that a truce agreement was “close.”

On Hamas’s side, military wing spokesperson Abu Obeida warned in a Friday speech that if this round of talks collapses, the group may not pursue another temporary ceasefire deal.

Instead, Hamas is pushing for a more comprehensive solution: the release of all hostages in exchange for an end to the war—terms Israel has so far rejected.

The Israeli official claimed Hamas is operating under a false belief that it benefits from prolonging talks, despite ongoing IDF operations in Gaza causing further damage to the group and civilians alike.

Hamas has reportedly refused to finalize discussions on the ratio of prisoners to hostages—a crucial element of the proposed ceasefire.

Still, some progress appears to have been made.

According to sources, Hamas has dropped its earlier refusal to discuss the terms of a prisoner-hostage exchange after reviewing Israel’s revised territorial proposal.

Negotiations over the swap ratio continued late into Friday night.

In parallel, separate Israeli and Egyptian delegations have been meeting in Cairo to address humanitarian aid distribution during the proposed truce.

The Israeli official confirmed that the two sides are making headway.

Though Israel claims it has shown flexibility, the official denied reports that it agreed to return to the March 2 positions from the previous ceasefire.

However, Arab mediators suggest that Israel has essentially accepted a return to those lines with minor modifications.

The new maps show that Israel is withdrawing forces from the Morag Corridor, a strategic 12-kilometer zone separating Rafah and Khan Younis.

Instead, Jerusalem now seeks to maintain a buffer zone in Rafah extending just over one kilometer.

Mediators say this shift effectively neutralizes previous Israeli plans to establish a “humanitarian city” intended to relocate and vet Gaza civilians.

This idea was reportedly widely criticized as a thinly veiled attempt to promote emigration.

Additionally, Israel has reduced its perimeter positioning across the Gaza Strip to one kilometer, down from earlier demands of two to three kilometers.

The evolving proposal would see the release of 10 living and 18 deceased hostages over five batches during a two-month ceasefire.

Earlier drafts included the release of 125 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences and more than 1,100 detainees arrested since Hamas’s October 7 attacks, most of whom have not been formally charged.

While some slight adjustments in the exchange ratio are expected in Hamas’s favor, mediators believe it will not be enough to derail the deal.

Final negotiations on the hostage-prisoner terms could take several more days to conclude.

Once a final agreement is within reach, U.S. Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to travel to the region.

A previously planned trip was postponed as talks stalled, despite an early announcement from the White House.

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