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Israel yet to respond as mediators push for Gaza ceasefire

Iran Press TV

Tuesday, 19 August 2025 7:14 PM

Mediators were awaiting a response from the Israeli regime on Tuesday to a fresh Gaza ceasefire plan, a day after Hamas accepted the proposal and signaled its readiness for a new round of talks aimed at ending the genocidal war in Gaza.

Mediator Qatar expressed guarded optimism for the new proposal, noting it was "almost identical" to an earlier version agreed to by Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has yet to publicly comment on the plan, but said last week that his regime would accept an agreement in which all the captives are released at once and "according to our conditions for ending the war."

A senior Israeli official on Tuesday said the regime stood firm on its call for the release of all captives in any future Gaza ceasefire deal.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the senior Israeli official told AFP their stance had not changed and demanded the release of all captives in any deal.

The regime and Hamas have held on-and-off indirect negotiations throughout the genocidal war, resulting in two short truces and the releases of some Israeli captives in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, but they have ultimately failed to broker a lasting ceasefire.

Qatar and Egypt have mediated the frequent rounds of shuttle diplomacy.

Egypt said Monday that it and Qatar had sent the new proposal to Israel, adding "the ball is now in its court."

'Positive point'

Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari said on Tuesday that Hamas had given a "very positive response, and it truly was almost identical to what the Israeli side had previously agreed to."

"We cannot make any claims that a breakthrough has been made. But we do believe it is a positive point," he added.

According to a report in Egyptian state-linked outlet Al-Qahera News, the latest deal proposes an initial 60-day truce, a partial captive release, the freeing of some Palestinian prisoners, and provisions allowing for the entry of aid.

Senior Hamas official Mahmoud Mardawi said on social media that his group had "opened the door wide to the possibility of reaching an agreement, but the question remains whether Netanyahu will once again close it, as he has done in the past."

Netanyahu faces increasing pressure at home and abroad to end the war.

On August 17, tens of thousands took to the streets in the city of Tel Aviv to call for the end of the war and a deal to free the remaining captives still being held.

Of the 251 captives taken during Operation Al-Aqsa Flood of October 2023, 49 are still in Gaza, including 27 who the Israeli military says are dead.

The new proposal also comes after Israel approved plans to conquer Gaza City and nearby refugee camps, fanning fears the new offensive will worsen the already catastrophic humanitarian crisis in the devastated territory.

Hamas has said it wants a complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, which is home to more than 2.3 million Palestinians.

Palestinians say the regime's refusal to withdraw all of its troops from Gaza is holding back progress on securing an agreement.