Afrasianet - US Middle East envoy Steve Whitkoff told mediators that Washington has no intention of forcing Israel to end the war in Gaza, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisting on rejecting that option. 

According to two Arab officials told The Times of Israel, Qatari and Egyptian mediators had hoped that the United States would turn to pressure Israel, especially after statements by US President Donald Trump and a number of his senior aides expressing their desire to end the war, following the release by Hamas on Monday of American-Israeli hostage Idan Alexander.

Whitkov: Gaza solution requires complete disarmament of Hamas

Netanyahu has expressed his commitment to limited approval limited to a temporary truce lasting about 45 days, starting with Hamas's release of about a dozen hostages. During his meeting with Witkov, he stressed that Israel is ready during this period to enter into negotiations on a permanent end to the war, without making a prior commitment to do so, according to the first Arab official.

But Hamas flatly rejected this proposal, noting that it had previously agreed to release hostages as part of a truce deal struck in January, which was supposed to be followed by Israeli negotiations on ending the war permanently. Netanyahu refused to enter those talks, however, and the IDF resumed its assault on Gaza on March 18.

Based on the above, Hamas insisted on the need for a clear Israeli commitment to end the war before releasing more hostages. 

Given the mutual intransigence of the two sides, Hitkov presented a compromise proposal that tries to reconcile the two sides, including the release of a limited number of hostages in exchange for a truce lasting several weeks, according to the two Arab officials. Trump's envoy also tried to reassure Hamas, through intermediaries, that the United States would ensure that Israel would enter into serious negotiations this time on the terms of a permanent ceasefire.

The two officials stressed that the gap between the two sides remains large, but U.S., Qatari and Egyptian mediators continue to try to push the two sides toward a settlement in the coming days.

Israel has threatened to launch a major military operation to reoccupy the entire Gaza Strip if Hamas does not accept its proposal for a temporary ceasefire before Trump's visit to the region ends on Friday.

But Arab mediators hope Washington can persuade Israel to postpone that operation for a few more days, pending the outcome of Tuesday's IDF airstrike targeting Hamas leader in Gaza, Mohammed Sinwar. 

Hamas: Netanyahu does not care about the fate of his prisoners and wants an endless war

Israel sees Sinwar as a major obstacle in attempts to reach an agreement in previous rounds of negotiations, and believes that his liquidation could prompt Hamas to make concessions. But Israeli hope that he was killed is fading, according to the second Arab official familiar with the details.

According to the official, an Arab summit was also scheduled to take place in Baghdad on Saturday to discuss the situation in Gaza, and Arab leaders expressed hope that the Israeli operation would not be launched during the summit.

As Arab mediators continue to coordinate with WITCOVE, Qatar and Egypt see the best strategy as pushing the parties toward a lasting end to the war, the first Arab official said.

The official noted that Hamas has already agreed to relinquish administrative control over the Gaza Strip and that at least five Arab states are still willing to participate in the administration of the Strip after the war, under a vision aimed at gradually disarming Hamas. But he acknowledged that this scenario would require an official invitation from the Palestinian Authority, something Netanyahu has so far rejected.

The official added that the absence of a clear political horizon for the Palestinians would complicate the possibility of achieving the demand for a permanent disarmament of Hamas.

Witkov expressed general agreement with the Arab proposal, telling the families of the hostages last week that the Netanyahu government's plan to significantly expand the war would not bear fruit, according to a source who attended the meeting.

Source: The Times of Israel