Official says gaps remain in talks with Hamas, Israel not committed to ending war

As negotiations for a ceasefire and hostage-release agreement with Hamas continue in Doha, a senior Israeli official says in a briefing with reporters that while a deal is more likely to be reached than not, certain gaps remain.

“I believe a deal is attainable,” says the official, but adds that “it’s not simple. Negotiating with Hamas isn’t easy or short, and I can’t give a timeline, but it is within reach.”

Regarding the details of the deal, the official says it was agreed that eight hostages would be released on the first day, and two more on the fiftieth day.

According to him, Hamas’s greater openness to United States special envoy Steve Witkoff’s framework reflects a shift in the terror group’s stance, which emerged about two weeks ago “as a result of intense military pressure and American engagement, along with Hamas’s desire to reach a framework. As a result of that desire and Qatar’s ties with Hamas, Qatar is taking on a different kind of involvement.”

The official reveals divisions within the security cabinet over what concessions Israel should be willing to make in a deal, saying: “Some members of the cabinet said not to withdraw from the territory we captured in Operation Gideon’s Chariots” — Israel’s intensified ground invasion which began in May.

“I told them, ‘Then say you don’t want a deal,'” the official says.

According to the official, there is no commitment on Israel’s part to ending the war, and clarifies that the proposed 60-day ceasefire would be temporary, during which talks on a permanent truce would take place.

“There’s a gap between the sides on the end of the war. If we bridge it, great. [Israel is] not glued to war, the war itself isn’t an ideology; it’s a tool. There may be an effort, possibly a major one by various actors, to bring about [a diplomatic solution]. We’re not there yet — it’s a bit premature — but that effort may come.”

“Israel knows what its aim is, I can simplify it very clearly in four words,” the official adds, conveying the message in English: “Hostages back, Hamas out.”