Witkoff lands in Doha as talks resume with aim of extending fragile Gaza truce
Mediators said to be pushing Hamas to release 10 hostages in exchange for 60-day truce, providing time to reach wider deal
US special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff landed in Qatar on Tuesday to join indirect talks between Israel and Hamas aimed at extending the current, fragile ceasefire in Gaza, a source familiar with the matter told The Times of Israel.
Wiktoff will meet Wednesday with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, the source said. Witkoff on Monday praised Qatar for its “outstanding” mediation efforts, adding that Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates have also been helpful.
Israel is hoping that the US can advance a proposal for a roughly two-month extension of the ceasefire, during which Hamas would release about half of the living hostages up front, an Israeli official said Tuesday.
Hamas has thus far rejected the proposal, insisting that the sides stick to the framework that was agreed upon in January. The first phase of the three-phase hostage-ceasefire deal ended on March 1 with no agreement on subsequent stages that could secure a permanent end to the war, but both sides have since refrained from resuming full-scale fighting.
Channel 12 news reported Tuesday night that mediators Qatar, the US, and Egypt are pushing Hamas to demonstrate its seriousness by accepting the offer, thereby providing more time to reach wider agreements on the ongoing ceasefire.
The outlet has previously reported the framework would see Hamas release 10 living hostages, including American-Israeli Edan Alexander, in exchange for a further 60 days of ceasefire.
The report said that the mediators told Hamas, “This is your last chance to prevent the renewal of war on Israel’s part. Everyone needs time, even you.”
An Israeli source with knowledge of the details told The Times of Israel that there is some “readiness” on the part of the terror group to agree to a long extension of the ceasefire without moving to the second phase of the deal.
Hamas would likely demand the release of senior terrorists being held by Israel in exchange for accepting the proposal, said the source.
The source said that there is a “gap” between the US and Israeli delegations’ expectations from the talks in Qatar and their decision-making abilities: While Trump has sent Witkoff, someone who can make decisions, the Israeli delegation — while relatively senior — is not empowered to make decisions. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s new point man on the talks, Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, has not traveled to Qatar.
A senior Hamas official confirmed that the fresh round of ceasefire talks began on Tuesday in Doha, with the terror group approaching the negotiations “positively and responsibly.”
“We hope that the current round of negotiations leads to tangible progress toward beginning the second phase,” Abdul Rahman Shadid said.
He also expressed hope that Witkoff would help “initiate negotiations for the second phase of the ceasefire agreement.”
“The US administration bears responsibility due to its unwavering support for the occupying [Israeli] government,” he said.
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said that Israel is still open to achieving its war aims in Gaza through negotiations.
“If we can achieve our goals in political means, okay, very good,” he said in an interview with ABC news. “But if we will not be able to do that, we will have to resume our military activity.”
Israel has said its goals include the return of the hostages held by terror groups in Gaza and the elimination of Hamas’s military and government in the Strip. These goals were echoed Monday by Witkoff, who told Fox News the terror group has “no alternative” to disarming and leaving Gaza.
Sa’ar also said Tuesday that Israel “conveyed our thoughts” to the Trump administration about US officials holding direct talks with Hamas last week.
Trump’s hostage envoy Adam Boehler has been involved in separate, direct talks with Hamas that, while broadly aimed at ending the war without the terror group in power, are specifically focused on freeing Alexander, the living Israeli-American hostage, as well as securing the release of the bodies of four slain Americans still held by the group.
The talks sparked private but intense criticism from Israel.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Monday that the direct dealings were a “one-off situation” that as of now “hasn’t borne fruit.”
Of the hostages remaining in Gaza, 24 are presumed to be alive, while 35 have been confirmed dead by Israeli officials, based on evidence and intelligence.
Hamas has repeatedly demanded a move to the second phase of the ceasefire deal, which would include the release of the remaining presumed-living hostages in exchange for a permanent end to the war.
Israel and the US have sought an alternative arrangement that would extend the first phase of the truce and see the release of further hostages without initiating a permanent end to the war against Hamas.
Hamas has so far released 30 hostages — 20 Israeli civilians, five soldiers, and five Thai nationals — and the bodies of eight slain Israeli captives during a ceasefire that began in January. The terror group freed 105 civilians during a weeklong truce in late November 2023, and four hostages were released before that in the early weeks of the war.
Eight hostages have been rescued from captivity by troops alive, and the bodies of 41 have also been recovered, including three mistakenly killed by the Israeli military as they tried to escape their captors, and the body of a soldier who was killed in 2014.
The body of another soldier killed in 2014, Lt. Hadar Goldin, is still being held by Hamas and is counted among the 59 hostages.
AFP and Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
