WASHINGTON (TNND) — Hopes of a lasting ceasefire between Israel and Hamas may be fading away as the Israeli military prepares for an intensive entry into Gaza as peace talks have stalled for weeks with more than 20 hostages still in Hamas’ custody.
Israel’s Cabinet ministers reportedly approved a new plan early Monday morning that calls for seizing the Gaza Strip and staying in the territory for an undetermined amount of time that also includes for hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to move outside of the area. It came after Israel’s military chief said the army would be calling up tens of thousands of reserve soldiers.
It is the latest in a series of escalating moves as part of a pressure campaign to bring Hamas back to the negotiating table and free the remaining hostages.
The Associated Press reported the new plan would not start until after President Donald Trump wraps up a planned visit to the Middle East later this month. The decision to wait until after the president departs could be a signal Israel is still willing to negotiate a peace settlement with Hamas after breaking the ceasefire in March.
The tentative peace was always expected to be difficult to maintain and analysts said reaching the final stage of the proposed outline would be the most challenging. Talks have hit an impasse with Israel and Hamas both having demands that are nonstarters to the other side of the table.
Israel has maintained that it will not end the war until Hamas agrees to give up governing authority and its military capability, while Hamas has pushed for a deal to stop the war without having to disarm.
But analysts said that once the ramped up military operation starts, it may be an end to the hopes for peace and a long-term settlement.
“This might be part of a pressure campaign before the actual military operations start to get Hamas back to the table once and for all. Once the operation starts, then I think Israel is not going to be in the mood to talk,” said Javed Ali, a former counterterrorism official in federal government and associate professor of practice at the University of Michigan. “They’re going to be focused on destroying what remains of Hamas and finding the hostages, so this might be the last attempt to bring back any prospects of the renewed ceasefire, transfer of hostages and future prospects of what happens in the Gaza Strip. But if not, then I think the gloves are going to come off.”
Trump came into office vowing to end the war in Gaza, along with another in Ukraine, but has run into hurdles getting a longstanding deal in place on both fronts. Netanyahu was the first foreign leader to visit the White House and has had staunch backing from the Trump administration that has not pushed back on Israeli military efforts or put conditions on aid. Trump will be in the Middle East next week with stops planned in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
A Hamas senior official told the AFP news agency on Tuesday that it sees no point in engaging with Israel on further ceasefire negotiations.
“There is no sense in engaging in talks or considering new ceasefire proposals as long as the hunger war and extermination war continue in the Gaza Strip,” he said.
Hamas has been severely wounded as a militant group in the war with Israel, having lost thousands of fighters and had many of its high-profile leaders and some of their replacements getting killed or captured in the war. Along with Hamas, Israel has also degraded Hezbollah’s capabilities and deterred Iran from continuing to support the group at full capacity, leaving it isolated in the conflict that could escalate without a surprise ceasefire agreement over the next week or so.
“It’s so hard to get in the minds of the Hamas leadership. What are they what are they expecting at this point? What are they hoping for?” Ali said. “The last little bit of leverage they have are the remaining hostages, and if they choose not to release them or transfer them, then it’s going to be really, really ugly.”
About 20 hostages are believed to be in Hamas’ custody and have been one of the final sticking points in ceasefire talks. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said repeatedly that Hamas has left Israel “no choice” but to continue the war in Gaza and that it won’t end the war until the group is destroyed and the hostages are freed.
But he also said in a video released Monday doesn’t mean Israel has given up hope for rescuing the last hostages.
“We will not give up on anyone,” Netanyahu said.