Gaza Ceasefire Talks Stalled Over Israel’s Troop Withdrawal Plans
GAZA CITY — The ongoing Gaza ceasefire talks between Hamas and Israel are reportedly facing major hurdles due to disagreements over Israeli military withdrawal plans, according to two Palestinian sources familiar with the negotiations.
Delegations from both sides have been engaged in indirect discussions in Qatar since last Sunday, aiming to secure a 60-day ceasefire to temporarily halt the conflict that erupted after Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. The nearly 21-month war has devastated Gaza and left millions in urgent need of aid.
Both Israel and Hamas have agreed in principle that an initial truce would include the release of 10 living hostages still held captive since the initial attack. However, progress has reportedly stalled over Israel’s insistence on maintaining a military presence in large parts of Gaza.
One Palestinian source told AFP that Israel’s map of troop movements presented in Doha is effectively a plan for redeployment, not a full withdrawal. “The negotiations in Doha are facing a setback and complex difficulties due to Israel’s insistence, as of Friday, on presenting a map of withdrawal, which is actually a map of redeployment and repositioning of the Israeli army rather than a genuine withdrawal,” the source said.
Hamas has made it clear that any meaningful ceasefire must include the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, a territory of over two million people. The map presented by the Israeli delegation reportedly proposes keeping military forces in over 40 percent of Gaza, which Hamas’s representatives say would effectively split the territory into isolated zones and limit freedom of movement for Palestinians.
“Hamas’s delegation will not accept the Israeli maps… as they essentially legitimize the reoccupation of approximately half of the Gaza Strip and turn Gaza into isolated zones with no crossings or freedom of movement,” the source added.
Mediators have since urged both sides to pause the Gaza ceasefire talks until the arrival of US President Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, in Doha, who is expected to help revive stalled negotiations.
A second Palestinian source noted that while some progress has been made on the release of Palestinian prisoners and improving aid access to Gaza, the Israeli delegation is seen as lacking authority and is allegedly “stalling and obstructing the agreement in order to continue the war of extermination.”
The future of the Gaza ceasefire talks remains uncertain as regional mediators push to find common ground and prevent further humanitarian catastrophe in the besieged enclave.
