Steven Sahiounie, journalist and political commentator
On April 26, Hamas signaled readiness to negotiate a comprehensive deal to end the 18-month Gaza conflict, including the release of all Israeli hostages and a five-year ceasefire, according to a senior Palestinian official. The offer comes as Israeli airstrikes killed at least 35 Palestinians in renewed bombardments, exacerbating a humanitarian catastrophe described by the UN as "suffocating" Gaza's 2.3 million residents.
A Hamas delegation engaged Egyptian mediators in Cairo this week to discuss terms for halting the war, which erupted after the group's October 7, 2023, deadly assault on Israel. The proposal, conveyed anonymously to AFP, demands a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, a permanent end to hostilities, and a surge in aid deliveries. Hamas insists any agreement must address long-term political solutions, including Palestinian statehood.
Israel rejected the five-year truce proposal, with a government source saying Tel Aviv refuses to allow Hamas to "rearm and recover".
Israel has refused to end the war or leave Hamas in power as the enclave's governing body. Israel claims Hamas will use any ceasefire to rearm and plan for a future attack on Israel, with the October 7 attack to be copied and expanded upon.
Earlier this month, Israel offered a 45-day pause in exchange for 10 hostages-- a plan Hamas dismissed as "partial". Negotiations collapsed in March after disagreements over extending an initial ceasefire brokered by Qatar, Egypt, and the U.S.
The UN World Food Programme (WFP) warned Friday that Gaza's last food stocks-- distributed through communal kitchens-- could vanish within days. Photos from Al Nuseirat camp showed displaced Palestinians queuing for meager bean rations. "There's no food in markets or kitchens. We're slowly dying," said Wael Odeh, a Gaza resident.
Jonathan Wetal, a UN humanitarian coordinator, accused Israel of an "assault on dignity", citing widespread starvation and Israel's blockade on aid. Israel claims Hamas diverts supplies for military use-- an allegation the group denies. The WHO echoed urgent calls to lift restrictions, noting medical resources are "running out".
Israeli strikes targeted Gaza City's Khour family home overnight, killing 10 and trapping 20 under rubble. "The house collapsed on us while we slept," survivor Umm Walid al-Khour told AFP. Rescue teams reported 25 additional fatalities elsewhere. Since resuming operations on March 18, Israel claims to have struck 1,800 "terror targets" and killed "hundreds of terrorists".
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan stated Sunday that recent Ankara talks with Hamas leaders indicated openness to a broader agreement addressing Palestinian statehood. Qatar's Prime Minister also noted "progress" in ceasefire discussions but emphasized unresolved hurdles.
As diplomatic channels strain, Israel's Security Council convened repeatedly this week to weigh expanding military operations. Meanwhile, Hamas official Mahmud Mardawi vowed to secure "guarantees for ending the war", underscoring the group's refusal to disarm-- a key Israeli demand.
With Gaza's infrastructure decimated and famine looming, international pressure mounts for a breakthrough. Yet entrenched demands from both sides-- Hamas's call for sovereignty and Israel's insistence on total security-- suggest a protracted stalemate. For civilians, the stakes grow direr by the hour. "This isn't just about survival," said Wetal. "It's about preserving humanity."
Finding a solution to the Gaza war is made difficult because the two sides are so far apart in their positions. In successful negotiations, common ground must be found and built upon.
Fatah, the political party of the PLO in the West Bank, accepted the concept of a two-state solution at the 1982 Arab Summit.
Hamas claimed to accept the idea of a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders, but did not recognize the statehood of Israel, in their 2017 revised charter.
In April 2024, Khalil al-Hayya, a senior Hamas official, said the group would lay down its weapons and become a political party if a Palestinian state was established on pre-1967 borders.
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