Two senior Hamas sources revealed notable progress in the ongoing Gaza ceasefire negotiations in Doha, with the group conditioning any agreement on the reopening of the Rafah border crossing for the entire duration of the proposed 60-day truce and any subsequent extensions.
“We are in the final stages of the talks,” a senior Hamas source told Al Manassa. “Hamas is racing against time to end the suffering of Gaza's people.”
Consultations were held Tuesday evening with various Palestinian factions regarding the Israeli-proposed redeployment maps during the truce, the source added. The discussions culminated in a unified agreement on “red lines that cannot be crossed.”
The Israeli maps included deployment zones deemed unacceptable, particularly around Rafah and northern Gaza, which would place entire neighborhoods under Israeli control, the sources said. However, the source expressed cautious optimism about reaching a compromise “within hours” that would revise those zones to ensure civilian mobility inside Gaza is not disrupted.
In contrast, another senior Hamas official warned of deliberate stalling by the Israeli government, accusing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of using the negotiations to prolong the war. He stated that “Hamas is facing intense pressure and blackmail from both Israel and the US” to agree to a deal centered on the release of Israeli detainees, without fulfilling the resistance's primary demand of ending the war.
They added that recent US statements aimed to portray Hamas as obstructing negotiations, when in fact “Israel refuses to make any substantive concessions and continues to impose impossible conditions.”
On Monday, CNN reported that the US threatened to withdraw guarantees it gave Hamas that Israel would negotiate an end to the war if the group failed to accept a revised 60-day ceasefire proposal.
Quoting unnamed sources familiar with the talks, the network said Washington warned Hamas its patience was running out and that it could no longer promise Israeli engagement on ending the conflict.
The draft deal reportedly involves the release of 28 Israeli captives—10 alive and 18 dead—over 60 days, alongside the entry of urgent humanitarian aid into Gaza under UN and Red Crescent supervision.
The proposals also include new Israeli-provided maps redrawing the Morag Corridor and repositioning Israeli occupation forces inside the enclave. Under these terms, Israel would begin a phased military withdrawal following the release of the first group of captives.
Hamas would be required on the 10th day of the truce to disclose information about the remaining captives. In exchange, Israel would release data on over 2,000 Palestinians it has held in administrative detention since the war began, with the final agreement mandating their release.
According to the document, Israel would suspend all military operations from the moment the truce begins. Military aircraft would also halt operations for 10 to 12 hours daily during prisoner exchanges.
Doha and Cairo, backed by the US, have hosted the talks for more than two weeks, seeking consensus on the US-drafted proposal for a 60-day ceasefire in a war that has devastated Gaza.
Israel had previously withdrawn from the second phase of a January truce agreement that was supposed to lead to a permanent end to hostilities. On March 18, it resumed its offensive, and mediators have since failed to broker a new deal compelling Israel to halt the war.
