Indirect negotiations between Israeli officials and representatives of Hamas have resumed in Doha, Qatar, aiming to finalize a ceasefire and prisoner swap amid the escalating humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.
Update: The initial session of indirect talks aimed at reaching a ceasefire concluded in Doha without an agreement, two Palestinian sources familiar with the matter told Reuters early Monday morning.
According to the sources, the Israeli delegation lacked the necessary mandate to finalize any deal with Hamas.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is currently en route to Washington to meet U.S. President Donald Trump, stated late Saturday that “Hamas’s latest demands are unacceptable to Israel.” Nevertheless, he dispatched a high-level negotiating team to the Qatari capital for talks.
The talks are unfolding against the backdrop of continued Israeli bombing and widespread devastation, with the Palestinian death toll surpassing 57,000, according to local health authorities.
A source told Agence France-Presse that “mediators have informed Hamas of the commencement of a new round of indirect negotiations in Doha on Sunday.”
The source noted that “the Hamas delegation, headed by Khalil al-Hayya and accompanied by technical teams, is currently in Doha and prepared for serious negotiations,” the Palestinian Maan News Agency said.
Israeli assessments indicated that a deal is unlikely to be finalized in the coming days due to substantial gaps between the two sides.
Israeli Channel 12 reported that the Israeli delegation includes the Deputy Head of the Shin Bet (identified by the Hebrew initial “M”), the coordinator for prisoner and missing persons affairs, Gal Hirsch, the Prime Minister’s political advisor, Ophir Falk, and a senior Mossad official.
The channel also noted that representatives from the Israeli army, Mossad, and Shin Bet will participate in the discussions at the professional team level.
Central to the discussions are the “duration of a proposed 60-day ceasefire, the scope of prisoner releases, and the framework for post-conflict governance.” Arab diplomatic sources report that the agreement is nearing completion, pending formal signatures following intensive late-night consultations.
Israeli officials have reportedly shown strong interest in expediting implementation. However, unresolved issues, including the future of weapons in Gaza, control over humanitarian operations, and the nature of civil administration, remain significant obstacles. With Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Washington scheduled this week, expectations are that finalizing the deal will require additional days of negotiation.
U.S. President Donald Trump is not expected to announce a breakthrough during the visit but “may offer a statement expressing optimism that a ceasefire is imminent.”
One major point of disagreement involves military positioning. Israel seeks to retain control over the Morag Corridor in southern Gaza, a strategic area separating Rafah from Khan Younis. This area includes the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, which Hamas demands be reopened as part of a broader withdrawal of Israeli forces. The Qatari proposal suggests that redeployment maps be negotiated during the talks.
The prisoner exchange component is also complex. Hamas is pushing for the release of prominent figures such as Marwan Barghouti, while Israeli officials are expected to reject such demands.
Preliminary estimates suggest around 1,000 Palestinian detainees could be freed, including 100 serving life sentences. Hamas, however, is reportedly advocating for a higher ratio, proposing the release of thirty high-sentenced detainees for every Israeli soldier.
It is worth noting that Israel is currently holding more than 18,700 Palestinians, including 12,100 from the West Bank and 6,600 from Gaza, among them hundreds of children, women, elected officials, and senior political figures.
Negotiators are additionally discussing the identities and release schedule of Israeli captives held in Gaza.
Meanwhile, humanitarian aid remains a contentious issue. Hamas has called for the removal of the U.S.-affiliated Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), citing its controversial role in recent deadly aid-related incidents.
Hamas prefers that assistance be channeled through United Nations agencies and the Red Crescent, while Israel, backed by the U.S., is likely to insist on GHF’s continued presence.
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Operational elements such as suspending airstrikes and coordinating hostage handovers are under review. As is typical in such negotiations, multiple drafts are being circulated, though it remains unclear how much flexibility the Israeli delegation will exercise.
Netanyahu’s Washington visit is expected to address the ceasefire proposal, the release of captives, regional concerns related to Iran, and the potential expansion of the so-called Abraham Accords, a topic that has drawn criticism for sidelining Palestinian rights in favor of geopolitical normalization.
On Sunday, the Israeli army killed more than 82 Palestinians and injured dozens more across the Gaza Strip.
Since Israel violated the ceasefire deal on March 18, 2025, its forces have killed over 6,800 Palestinians, including 1,856 children, 676 women, 334 elders, and 39 journalists, and injured more than 24,000, the majority of whom are children and women, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
Among the slain are more than 700 Palestinians, in addition to hundreds wounded, after being attacked near aid distribution sites run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.
Since October 7, 2023, the death toll has exceeded 57,418 Palestinians, including at least 17,131 children, 10,190 women, 4,147 elders, 256 journalists, 203 UNRWA workers, and 113 Civil Defense personnel. The number of wounded has surpassed 136,261, predominantly children, women, and the elderly, across the devastated coastal enclave.
