Israeli Reports: No Breakthrough Yet in Gaza War Negotiations

SadaNews - Israeli reports indicated on Sunday that there has been no breakthrough regarding the negotiations for the war in Gaza, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is attempting to project optimism so as not to appear as if he is putting obstacles in front of the U.S. administration.

The scheduled negotiation talks in Egypt on Monday will occur without the participation of U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, Trump’s advisor and son-in-law Jared Kushner, and will also take place without Israeli Minister Ron Dermer, who may join later.

Meanwhile, the head of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Khalil al-Hayya, is leading the negotiating delegation that arrived in Cairo on Sunday evening as its first move after surviving an Israeli assassination attempt that targeted the movement's delegation in Doha on September 9.

The Israel Public Broadcasting Corporation (Kan 11) reported that "there are currently no indications of a breakthrough in the negotiations," citing sources.

Sources indicated that "there are gaps between Israel and Hamas, and we must wait for the talks to begin in Sharm El Sheikh to know how close the two sides are to reaching an agreement."

The Israeli broadcasting authority pointed out that those close to Netanyahu say he is "showing optimism," similar to U.S. President Donald Trump, "so that he does not appear to the Americans as if he is putting obstacles to the talks."

"A 'green light' from the ruling coalition... on the condition that the war resumes unless disarmament occurs"

In a related context, Netanyahu received a "green light" from most senior officials in his governing coalition to proceed with the implementation of the first phase of the deal, according to Kan 11.

The channel's report stated that Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and other ministers will vote against the agreement "initially," but this will not lead to the dissolution of the government in the first phase.

According to the report, "the red line set by Smotrich and other ministers is the non-disarmament of the Gaza Strip."

In the same context, Channel 12 reported that the Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben Gvir, and Smotrich "demanded guarantees from Netanyahu to return to war if Hamas does not give up its weapons."

This comes as the Chief of Staff of the Israeli Army, Eyal Zamir, stated during his visit to the "Netzarim" axis in the Gaza Strip on Sunday, that there is no ceasefire currently, but rather a "change in the operational situation," pointing out that "the political leadership exploits the tools and achievements you (Army elements) have made in military operations and translates them into political achievements."

The extremist ministers, Smotrich and Ben Gvir, criticized Netanyahu for his alleged decision to stop the bombing in Gaza in favor of negotiations, with the former stating that this is a "grave mistake that represents a certain recipe for Hamas to waste time and increasingly erode the Israeli position; whether concerning the release of hostages all at once within 72 hours or with regard to the primary objective of the war which is to eliminate Hamas and dismantle Gaza entirely"; while the latter remarked that if Hamas continues to exist after the release of all hostages, "we will not be part of the government."

Earlier on Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised that Israel would not initiate any section of U.S. President Donald Trump’s peace plan for Gaza until all Israeli prisoners held by Palestinian resistance factions in the Strip are released.

During a meeting with members of the "Heroism Forum" representing families of soldiers killed in the October 7 attack and the war in Gaza, amidst international efforts for a prisoner exchange deal led by Washington, Netanyahu stated: "Until the last captive returns to Israel, we will not proceed to any other item." He reiterated his commitment that the release of all hostages, both alive and deceased, is a prerequisite for initiating any of Trump's plan items.

He mentioned that "we will not move to any item from the 21-point plan before implementing the first item, concerning the release of all captives, both alive and deceased," adding: "Until the last captive and all of them, do not return to the territories of Israel, we will not move to any other item." He added that this comes in light of pressure on Hamas stemming from "American pressure and the international and Arab isolation of the movement."

The Israeli government announced that its negotiating delegation will head to Egypt later on Sunday to conduct indirect talks with Hamas, scheduled to begin on Monday.

An Israeli government spokesperson told reporters that "the delegation will leave tonight, and the talks are expected to begin tomorrow," noting that they are of a "technical" nature.