New U.S., Egypt, and Qatar proposal for Gaza ceasefire raises hopes for agreement

According to Axios, mediators believe Israel’s recent concessions, which are included in this proposal, could pave the way for a swift agreement between the two sides.

The proposed deal under negotiation includes:

• A 60-day ceasefire in Gaza
• The release of 10 living hostages and the return of the bodies of 18 deceased hostages
• The release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails
• A significant increase in humanitarian aid to Gaza

Donald Trump, the U.S. President, intends to use this 60-day ceasefire as an opportunity to negotiate a more comprehensive agreement to end the war, which would include a new governance structure without Hamas.

Israeli and Hamas negotiators have been working over the past 10 days in Doha to narrow the remaining gaps in talks, according to Israeli officials and informed sources.

Sources indicate that on Wednesday, Trump met at the White House with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani to discuss the Gaza deal and other issues.

Although negotiations have repeatedly failed over the past four months following the collapse of the previous ceasefire, mediators now believe the remaining gaps are bridgeable.

The Qataris compiled all recent progress into this new proposal, which was jointly presented with the U.S. and Egypt to signal to both sides that all three countries fully support it.

The two main outstanding issues concern:

1.     The extent of the Israeli military withdrawal from Gaza during the ceasefire

2.     The ratio of Palestinian prisoners to Israeli hostages to be released

According to Israeli officials and sources familiar with the negotiations, Israel has made significant concessions regarding the territory its forces will control during the ceasefire.

Previously, Israel had insisted on maintaining a 5-kilometer buffer zone in the north of the Philadelphi Corridor along Gaza’s border with Egypt. That demand has now been reduced to 1.5 kilometers, which aligns closely with Hamas’s demand for Israel to return to the positions held during the previous ceasefire.

Israel has also agreed to limit its military presence to about 1 kilometer wide along other sections of the Gaza border, bringing it closer to Hamas’s position.

The updated proposal also includes minor adjustments to the prisoner-for-hostage ratios.

Previous proposals included the release of 125 Palestinians convicted of killing Israelis and sentenced to life imprisonment, as well as 1,111 Palestinians detained by the Israeli military in Gaza since October 7.

An Israeli official stated that the adjustments in the updated proposal are not expected to cause problems in the negotiations, although the two sides still need to negotiate the specific names of prisoners to be released.

Sources indicate that another nearly resolved issue concerns the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza.

Hamas has requested that aid not be delivered through the U.S. or the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation backed by Israel during the ceasefire. Israeli officials say this will effectively be addressed by Israel’s withdrawal from most parts of southern Gaza, where aid centers are located.

Israeli officials noted that separate talks have been taking place in Egypt in recent days to determine how Egypt can help deliver aid during the ceasefire in a way that prevents Hamas from seizing it.

Qatar’s Prime Minister is expected to meet with Hamas leaders in Doha on Saturday to seek their approval of the updated proposal.

One source familiar with the negotiations said Qatari mediators believe Israel’s withdrawal concessions could open the path to an agreement. The source added that Qatar expects Hamas will return with some remarks and considerations about the updated proposal, but not in a way that would derail the deal.