


Hard-liners in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu‘s governing coalition are urging him to reject the limited proposal Hamas said it accepted on Monday.
The limited proposal is a short-term deal that includes a 60-day ceasefire and the release of 28 Israeli hostages, 10 of whom are alive, in exchange for the release of an unidentified number of Palestinian prisoners, according to Axios.
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The proposal’s framework is similar to the two previous short-term cessations of fighting, which resulted in the release of dozens of hostages. However, both ultimately collapsed as mediators were unable to bridge their divides to reach a lasting peace. The latest deal does not seem to address those long-term hurdles that have been insurmountable thus far.
For his part, Netanyahu said, “I hear the reports in the media, and from them you can be impressed by one thing — Hamas is under immense pressure.”
The renewed push for a deal, led by the Qataris and Egyptians, comes as Israeli forces are preparing for a new significant offensive focused on the occupation of Gaza City.
Hard-liners in Netanyahu’s coalition do not want to see another short-term deal come together before the military conducts this operation, which has caused strong domestic and international protests.

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said Netanyahu does not have a “mandate to go to a partial deal,” while Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said it would amount to “stopping in the middle with a partial deal that abandons half of the hostages and that could lead to the suspension of the war in defeat.”
Smotrich said Hamas “is trying to stop” its elimination “by returning to a partial deal.”
Netanyahu relies on both Smotrich and Ben-Gvir for his governing coalition.
Opposition leaders have urged Netanyahu to accept the deal without delay, as have many of the families of the hostages who remain in Gaza nearly 23 months after they were taken on Oct. 7, 2023.
Israeli military leaders have also expressed doubts about the plan for a new offensive in Gaza.
Several European leaders of countries traditionally allied with Israel have spoken out against its announced offensive in Gaza City, and have discussed the recognition of a Palestinian state, both of which are stances that President Donald Trump does not share.
“We will only see the return of the remaining hostages when Hamas is confronted and destroyed!!! The sooner this takes place, the better the chances of success will be,” Trump said Monday on Truth Social.
In July, Trump said Israel agreed to “the necessary conditions” to finalize a 60-day ceasefire, during which the mediators would work to definitively end the conflict, but those efforts fell apart.
Netanyahu indicated last week that trying to get a deal done that would not secure the release of all of the hostages was “behind us.”
Hamas has said it would be willing to agree to release all of the remaining hostages in exchange for ending the war definitively. However, it has not agreed to Netanyahu’s other conditions to end the war, such as the group’s disarmament.
HOSTAGES WILL BE RELEASED ‘WHEN HAMAS IS CONFRONTED AND DESTROYED,’ TRUMP SAYS
The war is nearing its second anniversary, and in that time, the Israeli military is believed to have killed more than 60,000 Palestinians, a tally that does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. Multiple human rights organizations have described Israel’s military actions as a genocide, which it and other experts have disputed.
Humanitarian organizations have raised significant concerns about the threats posed to civilians if Israeli forces go ahead with the mission to occupy Gaza City.