Negotiations between representatives of Israel and Hamas to pause the Gaza war are progressing, with discussions underway to release hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and an increase in humanitarian aid.
Israeli officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, say they presented a detailed plan to Hamas during the second day of indirect discussions in the Qatari capital, Doha, and are awaiting approval for final talks. A Hamas official outside Gaza, who asked not to be named, agreed that a deal was closer than ever.
Divisions remain between Hamas officials outside Gaza and those inside the war-torn territory, who have adopted a tougher stance, officials say. There are also divisions within the Israeli government, with one minister saying his group opposes any deal.
The objective is to establish a plan, if not a complete agreement, by Donald Trump’s inauguration as US president next Monday (20). Negotiations overseen by Joe Biden’s administration faltered for months, during which fighting continued at varying levels of intensity, and much of the territory, home to more than 2 million people, was reduced to rubble.
Officials from different countries that a breakthrough could be imminent — while acknowledging the risk of yet another failure. “We are hopeful that a deal will be reached at the end of the Biden administration, perhaps in the last day or two,” Vice President-elect J.D. Vance said in an interview with Fox News.
Israel’s Channel 12 reported on Monday that Israeli officials are awaiting a response from Hamas to its detailed offer — and added that its report has been approved by military censors. “There is progress in the negotiations,” Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said in a statement. “We will soon know where the other side stands.”
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The talks are being mediated by a group of officials from Biden’s team and others who will enter the government with Trump, as well as leaders from Qatar and Egypt. The Israelis in Doha include the heads of domestic and foreign spy agencies, the chief hostage negotiator and a close foreign policy aide to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Before their arrival over the weekend, a working group had made progress, officials said.
The negotiations involve several issues that have long been bottlenecks — including which hostages and prisoners will be released, as well as when and where. The redeployment of Israeli troops to Gaza and the return of Palestinian civilians to the north of the territory are also under discussion, as is the distribution of aid.
However, the biggest obstacle, as it always has been, is a complete end to the war that began when thousands of Hamas members invaded Israel in October 2023, killing 1,200 people and kidnapping 250. This triggered an Israeli attack on Gaza that, according to the health ministry controlled by Hamas, has killed at least 46,000 people and displaced a large part of the population.
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Israel maintains that its war objective remains unchanged and unshakable — the complete destruction of Hamas as a military and political entity — and that no ceasefire will interfere with this. Hamas says the only agreement it will sign must include an end to the conflict.
Hamas is considered a terrorist group by the US and many other governments.
Israel has threatened to intensify its offensive against Hamas if there is no deal by Trump’s inauguration — a possible reference to ground operations in areas of Gaza that troops and tanks have so far avoided, believing hostages are being held there and could be harmed .
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Phased ceasefire
Biden officials have sought for months to close the gap by working on a phased ceasefire that would begin with a pause of about six weeks and involve a partial exchange of hostages for prisoners along with an increase in aid. The second phase would focus on negotiations for a permanent truce.
The problem has been disagreement between Hamas and Israel over whether the first phase guarantees an end to the war. Hamas said that if not, there will be no deal. Israel has stated that if so, there will be no deal. The new negotiations apparently address this gap with some kind of U.S. guarantee, although details are kept confidential.
What is becoming known are the details of the huge number of Palestinian prisoners to be released. Qadura Fares, who oversees prisoners for the Palestinian Authority — a rival of Hamas but indirectly involved in the latest negotiations — said in an interview that those serving life sentences for violent crimes would be deported to Qatar, Egypt and Turkey.
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The first hostages released would be women, the sick and injured, and those over 50 years old. There are 98 known hostages remaining in Gaza, and about half are believed to be alive.
Additionally, Israel may be seeking a kind of extended buffer zone around Gaza to protect its nearby communities that suffered from the Hamas attack in October 2023.
One obstacle in Israel has been that far-right members of Netanyahu’s cabinet have consistently rejected any deal that would release violent Palestinian prisoners. Netanyahu met with Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, leaders of the far-right camp, to inform them about the negotiations.
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On Monday, Smotrich rejected the deal, saying it would be a catastrophe for the country’s security. It is unclear whether he would seek to break up the coalition on this issue.
© 2025 Bloomberg L.P.
