Sept. 4—It has taken some time to get to this place, but sources close to the White House say that President Donald Trump and his Special Envoy Steve Witkoff are moving to force the Butcher of Gaza, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu, to accept a deal to end his slaughter of Palestinians and to return all living hostages held by Hamas.
These sources say the President's moves came in response to secret documents leaked to the White House from the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) that contradict Bibi's claims—which he sold to Trump—that his occupation of Gaza City will lead to the total destruction of Hamas and would end the war in a "matter of weeks." The IDF internal reports, which were leaked to U.S. intelligence, say that the new invasion of Gaza will cost the lives of all living hostages, kill tens of thousands of civilians, including women and children, and will turn what is left of Hamas into a guerrilla force operating inside Gaza's population, leading to high casualties for Israelis.
Military Opposition and Civilian Resistance
The IDF chief, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, has repeatedly spoken out against Bibi's plans for the Gaza occupation and issued warnings that reflect the IDF intelligence estimate to the war cabinet. Zamir has called for support for a negotiated deal to secure the release of the hostages and end the war, while stating that, if ordered, he will carry out Netanyahu's mission in the best way possible. That includes calling up necessary reserves and new recruits, a process that began Sept. 1. Sources report that many reserves are refusing to report for Gaza service.
Three weeks ago, Hamas had agreed to a 60-day ceasefire and partial release of hostages (10 living and 18 dead), on terms identical to a plan submitted by Witkoff months ago and endorsed by Netanyahu, who has neither rejected the deal—as submitted by Qatari and Egyptian mediators—nor even brought it up for discussion by the war cabinet.
This latter point has reportedly infuriated Trump, who has withdrawn his non-stated support for the Gaza invasion, while continuing to say that the future of the conflict is in Israel's hands. But sources say that Trump has moved, with Witkoff navigating in the backchannels, to go directly to Hamas. These sources say that Witkoff had his Palestinian-American collaborator and sometime negotiator Bishara Bahbah take a plan for a comprehensive deal to release all the hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, an immediate ceasefire, and an agreement to end the war. The details would be worked out in further talks that would involve Hamas agreeing to lay down its weapons, some of its leaders leaving Gaza, and Israel withdrawing its forces to defined areas of the border, with Gaza placed under a civilian authority, absent Hamas. The key is to agree to release all the hostages in exchange for prisoners, with a ceasefire.
Trump’s Direct Appeal and Hamas’s Response
Sources report that in a modified form, this plan had been presented by Witkoff, with Hamas agreeing to it, carrying the firm promise of Trump to make sure Bibi implemented it. It was at this point that Bibi, citing problems in his coalition government, pivoted away from it to a partial hostage release plan and ceasefire. Trump reluctantly agreed.
"But when Hamas agreed to the partial deal and Bibi stalled, Trump became skeptical of his intent to end the war or bring the hostages home," said a source. "Then IDF said that Bibi was lying to Trump about his Gaza occupation plan. And meanwhile, there are the pictures on the internet and American television screens of starving people being shot by the IDF as they try to obtain food. And starving children, which Bibi claimed was Hamas propaganda. Witkoff reportedly went to Trump and said, 'Boss, this goes on until all Gaza dies, if we don't stop it. Then it's not just Israel who is responsible.' Trump gave the go-ahead to reach out to Hamas through back channels. Bahbah was used because Bibi would have found out if he sent Witkoff."
Bahbah has confirmed the content of the source report, telling the Saudi-owned outlet Al Arabiya that he had presented Hamas with a U.S. proposal to end the war in Gaza in exchange for the release of all hostages. According to Bahbah, "Hamas had doubts about the seriousness of the offer" but "were convinced" after Trump's post, which said "things will change rapidly" if Hamas releases the living hostages.
Trump had posted on his Truth Social account Sept. 3: “Tell Hamas to IMMEDIATELY give back all 20 Hostages (Not 2 or 5 or 7!), and things will change rapidly. IT WILL END!”
Then, Hamas, responding in fact to the deal presented by Bahbah, but also to Trump's post, said it was ready for a "comprehensive agreement" to release all hostages for an "agreed-upon number of Palestinian prisoners" held by Israel. Such a deal would also "end the war in the Gaza Strip, withdraw all Israeli forces from the territory, open the crossings to allow the entry of all necessary supplies, and launch the reconstruction process," Hamas said.
Negotiations and Humanitarian Aid Underway
Under discussion already is a plan for Hamas, acting on Trump's word, to release all the hostages in exchange for a prisoner release. Before that, all military operations in Gaza would cease, with the U.S. then overseeing a massive influx of aid for Gaza's starving and dying people. At the same time, negotiations would get under way to implement the rest of the Trump plan and the war in Gaza would finally be over.
Netanyahu's office dismissed the Hamas announcement as "more spin ... that contains nothing new," reiterating that the war could end immediately, but only on the conditions set by Israel's security cabinet, which include the release of all hostages, the disarmament of Hamas, Gaza's demilitarization, Israeli security control of the Strip, and the establishment of a new civil government.
"Bibi now will be made to eat crow, if things go as planned," said the source. "As it becomes known that Trump and Witkoff intend to push for a deal and block the occupation, the situation will heat up in Israel. It is likely that the IDF will endorse this push for a deal, while it delays further moves for the last push into Gaza City."
Families and Commentators Demand Action
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum called on Netanyahu, the U.S. administration, and mediators to "convene the negotiating teams immediately and have them sit around the negotiating tables until a deal is reached."
Vicky Cohen, mother of captive soldier Nimrod, said in a press release prior to the new deal coming into public view that while Hamas has said for weeks that it has accepted a hostage deal, "Netanyahu torpedoed it after mere minutes. Our children can be back home by tomorrow night. That's not a spin, it's a fact." Addressing Netanyahu, Cohen said that "if you don't lay a deal on the table, we will escalate the struggle, and so will the entire country."
Writes the respected commentator Chaim Levinson in Haaretz Sept. 4: "Behind closed doors, Netanyahu is contending with two key problems. The first revolves around U.S. President Donald Trump's expectations for a quick military operation that will end in Hamas' defeat within the next few weeks... But Netanyahu knows that the army has presented an entirely different plan… The second problem is the severe diplomatic crisis Israel has found itself in. Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar, like the typical Likud opportunist, has adopted the well-known rule, 'In public, brag to the base, and behind closed doors, speak to the investigative committee.' In front of the prime minister, he talks about dire scenarios in the event Israel occupies Gaza, and how the world's television screens will light up for weeks with images of starving people and dead children."
Bahbah’s Assessment and Editorial Warnings
"When [Hamas] saw the president’s tweet, they were convinced that this was official,” Bahbah told Al Arabiya. “Hamas’s reaction was almost immediate: They agreed to this deal. They wanted a comprehensive deal—let's hand over all the hostages and receive a certain number of Palestinian prisoners in return, and at the same time, the war should end.”
In its statement Sept. 4 saying it would accept a comprehensive deal, Hamas asserted, "This agreement will end the war on the Gaza Strip, lead to the withdrawal of all occupation forces from the entire Gaza Strip, open the crossings to allow the entry of all Gaza Strip's necessities, and begin the reconstruction process."
Bahbah conceded that he could not guarantee that Israel would respect any agreement. “What I know is that the American side has increased its involvement in this process. And naturally, it all comes back to the kind and amount of pressure on Israel to strike any deal. Without American pressure, nothing will happen,” he said. “What’s on the table now is an American offer. Is America ready to clash with Israel to implement this American vision, or not? I don’t know. The president wants to end the war in Gaza. President Trump wants to end the war in Gaza.”
Bahbah said, “Cooperating with this administration means that when they show interest in a specific issue, you close it as quickly as possible.” He credited Hamas for what he said was a “quick response [that] was rational and responsible.” Pressed on what Witkoff said when Bahbah relayed Hamas’s reaction to the U.S. proposal, Bahbah said, “The response was: ‘This is a positive thing, let’s finish the process.’”
Writes Haaretz in its lead editorial Sept. 4: "Israel is walking with eyes wide open into a steadily expanding disaster. The war in Gaza has crossed all bounds of reason, from both the military and the humanitarian perspective. The talk of 'defeating Hamas,' of 'security control' and 'returning the hostages' has lost all relevance in the face of the reality on the ground...
"Security slogans cannot be brandished after all the heads of the security forces presented to the inner cabinet a clear position that favors a hostage deal, even a partial one, and warned of the steep price: the service members and hostages who will die, burnout and attrition in the military and a slide into military rule in the Gaza Strip.
"The Israeli public, and above all the families of the hostages, confront a government that is detached and impermeable. The families' protest is trying to get through, but it still hasn't changed the prime minister's view that the war serves him politically. And there's no one to stop Gaza's destruction and Israel's collapse.
"As we approach the second anniversary of the outbreak of the war, and just before the occupation of the Gaza Strip becomes a fait accompli, we must stop.
"The destruction must stop, the hostages must be returned, and the plan for the 'day after' proposed by Arab countries with international support must be accepted. At any moment, it will be too late. Israel must stop now."