The World Holds Its Breath Watching the Ceasefire Negotiations, What is the Direction?
On July 6th (local time), the first round of ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas began in Doha, Qatar, but ended without any significant outcomes, according to Palestinian sources cited by Reuters. The meeting was mediated by Qatar and Egypt, while Israel and Hamas communicated indirectly through coordinators. Palestinian sources told Reuters that the Israeli delegation did not have sufficient authority to make an agreement with Hamas. The BBC reported that the talks lasted about three and a half hours, with both sides exchanging messages and conditions through mediating countries, but there was no progress. The talks are set to resume on Monday.
The statement from Palestinian sources that the Israeli delegation lacks authority suggests that the decision on a ceasefire agreement essentially rests on the meeting between President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, scheduled for July 7th in Washington. In line with this, Netanyahu boarded a flight to the US, stating, “Discussions with President Trump will definitely help achieve the results Israel desires.” He emphasized the need to return Israeli hostages from Gaza and eliminate the threat of Hamas.
President Trump’s proposal led to the ceasefire negotiations, so Netanyahu’s comments seem expected. However, they also indicate that Netanyahu intends to meet with Trump to push through conditions favored by Israel. Experts also believe that the Washington meeting will be more decisive in determining the outcome of the ceasefire negotiations than the talks in Doha.
Three Conditions Presented by Hamas… Netanyahu Calls Them “Unacceptable”
President Trump announced on social media on July 1st that Israel agreed to a US-proposed ceasefire and expressed hope that Hamas would accept the ceasefire agreement. In response, Hamas announced last Friday that it had sent a reply to the coordinating countries, Qatar and Egypt, regarding the proposal. The US proposal reportedly includes a 60-day ceasefire and the exchange of 10 Israeli hostages and 18 bodies for Palestinian prisoners. While it is fortunate that the ceasefire talks are taking place, there is a mix of skepticism and hope about the actual realization of the ceasefire. After Hamas’ conditions were revealed, Israel declared them “unacceptable.”
Al Jazeera reported that Hamas’ ceasefire conditions include a 60-day truce along with three additional demands. The first demand is the immediate cessation of the operations of the Gaza Humanitarian Fund (GHF), allowing the UN and affiliated aid organizations to take charge of distributing relief materials. Israel had effectively disabled the activities of aid groups, including UN agencies, and allowed GHF, supported by Israel and the US, to distribute relief food. However, since GHF began operations on May 27, there have been daily casualties among civilians trying to receive aid, with an estimated 750 deaths as of July 6.
Hamas’ second condition is for Israel to withdraw its forces to the positions they held before breaking the truce in early March. After breaking the truce, Israel resumed large-scale attacks on Gaza, resulting in daily civilian deaths. The third condition stipulates that even if the 60-day ceasefire ends without an agreement on a peace treaty, the US and the international community must ensure that Israel does not resume attacks. This is to prevent a recurrence of early March events when Israel unilaterally broke the truce and launched attacks.
Following the public release of Hamas’ conditions, Netanyahu immediately stated that they were “unacceptable” and reiterated that the war would not end until all Israeli hostages were returned and Hamas was completely destroyed. Netanyahu’s insistence stems from his ultimate goal of using GHF to completely control the lives of Gaza’s residents and his refusal to withdraw Israeli forces for Hamas to be annihilated, as well as his eventual goal to take over Gaza after driving out its residents.
Adnan Hayyina, a professor of international relations at Qatar University, commenting to Al Jazeera, stated, “What Israel desires is a Gaza Strip without its people. Therefore, the residents of Gaza have only three options: starve to death, be killed, or leave the Gaza Strip. However, the residents have proven they will not leave under any circumstances.”
Netanyahu’s particular emphasis has been on the annihilation of Hamas, a goal he declared from the onset of the Gaza offensive in October 2023. However, many believe this is an unrealistic objective. Even within Israel’s Defense Ministry, voices have emerged asserting this goal is impossible, as stated by Israeli Defense Ministry spokesman Daniel Hagari in an interview with Channel 13 in June 2024, saying, “Hamas is an ideology. Those who think it can be completely eradicated are mistaken.”
Nevertheless, Netanyahu has consistently prioritized the eradication of Hamas over hostage negotiations. This is because he needs to leverage the war to navigate domestic challenges such as trials and low approval ratings to maintain his political standing. Considering these reasons, there is doubt whether Netanyahu is genuinely willing to agree to a ceasefire.
Despite branding Hamas’ proposal as “unacceptable,” Netanyahu dispatched a delegation to Doha. This was likely because he could neither reject Trump’s proposal nor due to his belief that he could fulfill his desired conditions during the meeting with Trump. More importantly, he faces the need to mitigate rising international criticism and pressure, especially given the significant burden of the many civilians killed while seeking food as a result of GHF’s activities.
Significant Differences Between Israel and Hamas… The Crucial Matter is Halting Gaza’s Suffering
Experts who view the likelihood of a ceasefire agreement as low point to the significant differences in perspectives between Israel and Hamas. They specifically underline that Netanyahu’s unchanged objective of annihilating Hamas demonstrates Israel’s lack of intent to end the war. However, despite this, Netanyahu cannot ignore the escalating criticism and pressure from the international community. Therefore, considering this is a ceasefire and not an end to hostilities, Israel may agree to some conditions being met.
Regardless of the outcome, what the world desperately hopes for is for the gunfire and massacres in Gaza to cease. The global community has reached a breaking point in watching the situation where people are trapped in Gaza, facing daily killings and starvation. Thus, the world is attentively observing the ceasefire negotiations in Doha with bated breath.