Hamas Signals Willingness to Accept Revised Ceasefire Plan
July 3—With the Butcher of Gaza, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu, headed next week to Washington for 5 days of talks with Trump Administration officials, sources close to Hamas report that the organization will say, possibly tonight, that it can work with the outlines of a newly modified Witkoff Plan to secure a 60-day ceasefire and hostage and prisoner release, as well as negotiations toward a permanent end to Israel's slaughter in Gaza and the free flow of humanitarian aid to be distributed through the United Nations and Red Crescent for its starving people.
"The release of the hostages in five phases, spread out over two months, represents a significant change from the so-called Witkoff Plan the U.S. presented in May, according to which the hostages would have been released in two phases during the first week of a cease-fire," reports the respected analyst Jack Khoury in Haaretz today.
"Hamas expressed satisfaction with the wording of the new proposal and noted that mediators are making significant efforts to bridge the gaps between the parties, according to a report from the Saudi Asharq News." A statement from Israel last night also cited progress being made towards a workable deal—the first time in months that Israeli officials had said this.
Hostage Exchange Reworked Over Phased Timeline
The new Gaza cease-fire proposal, put forward by the U.S., includes the release of 10 living hostages as well as the bodies of 18 deceased hostages in five phases over the course of 60 days, an Israeli security official and a Palestinian source close to Hamas told The New York Times on July 3.
Israel will release Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the hostages, and Hamas won't be allowed to hold "hostage release ceremonies," as it has done previously, according to the Times sources.
White House sources say Hamas has been convinced by President Donald Trump's Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and his fellow Qatari mediators that this is the "best and last" deal Trump will offer, and that he is committed to ensuring it leads to a permanent end to the fighting. Both Trump and Witkoff, they add, will not allow Bibi to sabotage any deal, as happened with the previous ceasefire.
"If there is a deal, it is because Hamas finally understands that the President wants it and he is not going to let Bibi off the hook," said a source close to the White House, who expects that point to be hammered home when Netanyahu visits Washington next week. The talks may begin before that, as ideally Trump would like to present Bibi with a deal to sign.
Military Pressure and Election Calculations By Netanyahu
Meanwhile, the Israelis have intensified the killing in Gaza, as they appear to be getting ready for the ceasefire. But this and other sources say that Bibi now also finds his blood intentions in Gaza constrained by his own military, whose Israel Defense Forces (IDF) chief Zamir told the war cabinet last week that he believes all military objectives have been achieved and that further prolonged actions will merely put the lives of the remaining hostages at risk.
"If the hostages die now," said the source, "that would also kill any hopes that Netanyahu might have of winning re-election in a campaign now considered likely to take place before the end of the year."
The report cited by Khoury says that Hamas still has issues with the new plan, mostly with the specifics of how aid will enter Gaza and how it will be distributed, as well as with the IDF withdrawal, since there are no maps that show how its forces will be repositioned. A source close to the negotiations says the IDF withdrawal will basically mirror what was done in the last ceasefire.
Guarantees Against Renewed Fighting
A statement from Hamas in Doha said that the organization is treating the proposal with "responsibility" and is willing to demonstrate flexibility provided that Palestinian interests are met.
The issue of Hamas concern has in the past been on whether Bibi could stall or block serious negotiation, wait for the hostages to be released and the 60 days of ceasefire to end, and have the IDF roll back into Gaza. Sources say the mediators made it clear to Hamas that they are not going to let that happen and that they intend to guarantee that both sides work towards a final deal, without any Israeli resumption of fighting. They stressed that President Trump has signed off on that commitment and intends to enforce it on Bibi, whether he likes it or not.
"It’s simply inconceivable to me that once the fighting and the slaughter stops that the President would ever let it start up again," said the White House source, who reported that Trump has "sweetened the deal" for the Israelis by offering them diplomatic breakthroughs that would include work for recognition of Israel by the Saudis and the Gulf States. "Sure, we got trouble in River City and his name is Bibi Netanyahu. But he needs this deal if he is to stand for election; he needs the hostages that are left alive returned alive. And if he has accepted that there will be elections, then the lunatic ministers Ben-Gvir (National Security) and Smotrich (Finance) don’t really threaten him. That is why the two are working to try to block the deal in the cabinet and Knesset. Only such a deal is immensely popular with the Israeli voters."
Cabinet Approval and Negotiations on the Horizon
The revised Witkoff Plan has already been accepted by the Israelis, by Netanyahu’s confidant and Strategic Minister Ron Dermer, in meetings with Witkoff and others in Washington this week. It still must pass the cabinet, but sources say while there will be a lot of screaming, it will pass—and easily. If also accepted by the Hamas leadership, then negotiations could begin this week.