Israel has rejected Hamas' proposed amendments to the latest ceasefire plan aimed at ending the ongoing war in Gaza. On Saturday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office released a statement declaring the changes "unacceptable" while confirming Israel’s willingness to continue proximity talks in Qatar.
“The changes that Hamas is seeking to make in the Qatari proposal were conveyed to us last night and are unacceptable to Israel,” the statement read. “In light of an assessment of the situation, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has directed that the invitation to proximity talks be accepted and that the contacts for the return of our hostages – on the basis of the Qatari proposal that Israel has agreed to – be continued. The negotiation team will leave Sunday for Qatar to hold talks.”
Hamas had responded “positively” to the initial proposal earlier in the week but had requested several modifications. These included demands for a permanent ceasefire instead of the 60-day truce offered by Israel, a complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip, the uninterrupted flow of humanitarian aid, and the release of a specific number of Palestinian prisoners.
Additionally, Hamas sought U.S. guarantees to ensure that Israel would not break the ceasefire—something that occurred in March following a similar agreement. In that instance, Israel resumed bombing Gaza after reportedly receiving a “green light” from the White House.
The original Qatari-brokered proposal includes a 60-day truce, the release of 28 Israeli captives—10 alive and 18 deceased—and increased humanitarian aid deliveries, but does not obligate Israel to end the war.
In a significant shift, Hamas had also agreed to relinquish control of Gaza to a technocratic interim government that would oversee the reconstruction of the war-ravaged enclave. However, Israel has rejected this component of the deal as well.
Israel claims to currently maintain operational control over more than 65% of the Gaza Strip. Since May 27, over 700 Palestinians have reportedly been killed, including many at U.S. and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) aid distribution sites. Israeli soldiers, in anonymous statements to Israeli media, have alleged that top military commanders gave orders to deliberately fire on civilians seeking aid.