Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Talks at Impasse, Netanyahu Blamed for Sabotage

The main obstacle is Hamas’s demand for a deal to lead to a permanent ceasefire and Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s insistence that any truce would only be temporary.

There were signs over the past week that progress was being made in the talks, but an Israeli official told The New York Times that Netanyahu’s repeated threats to invade Rafah “with or without” a deal hardened Hamas’s demands to ensure Israeli forces wouldn’t enter the city.

According to media reports, the deal that was on the table would have involved Hamas releasing 33 Israeli hostages in the initial phase in exchange for a 40-day ceasefire and commitments to work toward a longer truce. Hamas still insisted on a permanent ceasefire, and Netanyahu’s threats made it clear that wasn’t going to happen.