Hamas on Wednesday said Gaza ceasefire talks with Israel were progressing due to US President Donald Trump's involvement in the process.
The key provisions of the proposals under discussion are a 60-day truce, the release of 10 hostages held by Hamas along with the remains of 18 others who died in captivity, as well as the entry into Gaza of humanitarian aid.
Also included is the release of hundreds of Palestinians held in Israel and indirect Hamas-Israel negotiations on an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and an end to the war.
The US President wants the proposed ceasefire to lead to the war's conclusion, with the two-month truce automatically extending.
His demand was relayed during a meeting between White House Middle East special envoy Steve Witkoff and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington on Monday, a US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The National.
"There is slow progress in the negotiations, even when it seems implementing the agreement is harder than reaching it," a Hamas official told The National of the indirect talks that resumed in Doha this week to reach a ceasefire and hostage deal.
"These negotiations are different from previous ones and are moving forward due to the direct American involvement via Mr Trump."
Gazans plead for an end to the war
Hamas has said it is seeking personal guarantees from Mr Trump that the deal on the table would lead to "an end of the war".
Israel has consistently said the 21-month conflict will not be over until all the hostages – 20 of whom are believed to be alive – are freed, and Hamas's governing and military capabilities are dismantled.
Sources told The National on Wednesday that who distributes the humanitarian assistance expected to flow into Gaza if a deal is reached has become one of the main points of contention. The Hamas official confirmed that remains unresolved.
Hamas wants aid to be handled by the UN and associated agencies, while Israel is insisting the controversial US and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation continues to play that role.
The Israeli army has been accused of opening fire on Palestinian civilians trying to obtain aid from distribution centres run by the foundation. Hundreds have been shot dead attempting to secure supplies. The Israeli military says troops fire warning shots when they detect suspicious activity.
The forced displacement of Palestinians has also been brought back into the spotlight. While Mr Netanyahu was hosted at the White House, his defence minister proposed that a prison-like "humanitarian city" be built in the south of Gaza close to Egypt's border to host hundreds of thousands in a closed zone, Israeli media reported.
It appears to be the latest version of plans by the Israeli government to maintain lasting control over Gaza and relocate much of its population of more than two million.
Hamas wants Israel to pull its military away from proposed humanitarian corridors in Gaza, said the sources. But, they added, signs were growing that Israel may eventually cede to Hamas's demand that the UN take charge of distributing aid, although Israel was unlikely to relinquish control of the narrow but strategic strip on the Palestinian side of the Egypt-Gaza border and another area close by.
Both areas intersect with the proposed humanitarian corridors, the sources said.
"There are issues the occupier refuses to give clear answers on, such as withdrawing from Gaza – instead, it talks about redeployment," said the Hamas official. The militant group has insisted on a complete Israeli withdrawal from the enclave.
Without guarantees on these points, there will be no progress towards ending the war, the Hamas official added.
The Gaza war was sparked by a Hamas-led attack on southern Israeli communities killed 1,200 in October 2023. Another 250 were taken hostage. Israel's response was a devastating military operation that has to date killed about 57,700 Palestinians and injured more than twice that number, health authorities in Gaza say.
