Israel open to short truce in Gaza as talks restart in Qatar

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he’s open to a short truce in the country’s war with Hamas that would lead to the release of a small number of the around 100 hostages still held by the Iran-backed militant group in Gaza.

Netanyahu’s remarks followed a meeting between his top negotiator and senior Qatari and U.S. officials in Doha on Monday, aimed at reviving stalled cease-fire talks following Israel’s killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar this month. Discussions centered on a plan proposed by Egypt, one of the mediators between the warring sides.

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi on Sunday spoke of a two-day suspension of hostilities and the freeing of four hostages in exchange for a number of Palestinians held in Israeli prisons.

“Then, within 10 days, negotiations will take place” to bring about “a full cease-fire and the delivery of aid” to Gaza, El-Sisi told reporters.

Still, Netanyahu said he had yet to receive such a proposal formally.

“Israel has not received a proposal for the release of four hostages in return for a 48-hour ceasefire in Gaza,” his office said in a statement. “If such a proposal had been raised, the prime minister would have accepted it immediately.”

Israeli public broadcaster Kan cited Netanyahu as telling his cabinet that “we are trying to reach a deal of a few hostages in return for a few days of calm.”

In Doha, negotiators discussed a “new, unified proposal that draws on previous offers while also taking into account the main issues and recent regional developments,” Netanyahu’s office said. “Talks will continue between the mediators and Hamas to examine the feasibility of negotiations.”

There was no immediate comment from Hamas, which is considered a terrorist organization by the U.S. and European Union.

Long Wait

Should a deal be agreed, it would be the first cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war for about 11 months, when a number of hostages were exchanged for Palestinian prisoners during a short-lived truce at the end of November. Talks have foundered since, and Gaza has been increasingly devastated, with the United Nations warning of “a dire humanitarian crisis.”

The war was triggered when Hamas militants raided Israel in October of last year, killing about 1,200 people and kidnapping 250. Of the remaining 100 or so hostages in captivity, Israel believes about half are dead. More than 43,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s subsequent military campaign.

Hamas has in the past insisted on an Israeli commitment to withdraw all forces from Gaza as part of a staggered release of hostages. Israel has ruled that out, demanding the right to resume fighting, after any truce, until Hamas is disarmed and dismantled.

A Western official briefed on the new Doha talks said the U.S., Israel and the Arab mediators saw an additional value to the Egyptian proposal in that it would be a chance to prove that Hamas, though leaderless in Gaza, could deliver on a deal.