Israel: No chance of a near-term deal; Hamas maintains its position

Political and security assessments in Tel Aviv said the chances of reaching an agreement in the near term are almost zero, despite ongoing U.S. behind-the-scenes efforts to launch a negotiation track concerning Israeli captives.

Palestinian circles accuse the U.S. administration of practicing deception, saying Washington speaks of an alleged “peaceful track” to stop the war while continuing to support a campaign of annihilation and displacement in Gaza and tightening the siege on the West Bank.

Israeli political sources told Channel 12 Hebrew that the Israeli army has begun to push deeper into the military operation and that any change in position depends on a shift in Hamas’s stance, noting that talk of an agreement at this stage is “out of the question”.

Although Hamas agreed to Tel Aviv’s paper aimed at reaching an agreement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded by striking Doha, which is acting as mediator, while he and former U.S. President Donald Trump insist on retrieving Israeli captives “for free” without halting military operations.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said during his meeting with Israeli officials that Qatar sent a clear message it will not back down from mediation efforts, but that it is not prepared to engage in serious negotiations due to a lack of trust in Israeli intentions.

Senior officials on the negotiating team stressed that the gap between Israel’s position and Hamas’s position is very wide, and that Israeli rhetoric does not align with the other side, making prospects for progress nil at the present stage.

Meanwhile, Israeli assessments indicated that Hamas leaders abroad are moving with extreme caution, while Netanyahu reiterated his adherence to a policy of assassinations, asserting that the recent operation did not fail and that he will continue targeting the movement’s leaders.