They refused: The end of the war is not near

This was confirmed by a senior Palestinian Authority official to Al Mayadeen on Monday.

According to the report, Bahbach's proposal was based on the so-called The "Witkoff Plan", which was developed by the US envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff. According to that plan, half of the Israeli hostages would be released on the first day, and the rest if a permanent ceasefire was reached. Bachbach's proposal called for a 60-day ceasefire, during which the ten live hostages would be released in two phases.

The report also states that the proposal includes an Israeli commitment to negotiate an end to the war during the ceasefire period, with personal guarantees from US President Donald Trump.

Two main topics of negotiation

The negotiations would be conducted on two main topics:

• the obligation of Hamas to refrain from rearmament and military operations against Israel,
• talks on the future of Gaza, including the establishment of a professional government to govern the territory and lead the reconstruction process. Bachbach presented the proposal in coordination with Witkoff.

According to an Israeli source, Israel rejected the proposal on the grounds that "it cannot be accepted by any responsible government." The source also said that "Hamas has no real desire to reach an agreement."

Hamas presented a counter proposal?

On the other hand, Hamas has reportedly presented a counter-proposal that includes a 70-day ceasefire, with the release of five live hostages and the handing over of the bodies of the five dead within the first week. The group also demanded 1,000 humanitarian trucks a day enter Gaza during the ceasefire.

After talks in Doha stalled, senior Israeli officials said there was still hope for a deal. Their optimism is based on three sources of pressure that are still present:

• the threat of a major Israeli military operation, for which preparations are already underway;
• growing international pressure on Israel due to fears of a worsening humanitarian disaster in Gaza;
• continued efforts for the US to broker an agreement to end the war.

A source familiar with the details of the proposal told "Haaretz" that the US continues to exert "tremendous pressure" on Israel to end the war. Wittkoff conveyed this message to Minister Ron Dermer during their latest meeting in Rome last weekend, the source added. Neither Dermer's cabinet nor the Israeli prime minister's office responded to inquiries about the matter.

The Forum of Families of Hostages and Missing Persons reacted to the reports by saying: "Once again the same dangerous logic is being repeated that seeks to continue the war at all costs, in vain. Partial agreements are a pre-lost position for Israel and must be avoided. There is only one valuable and necessary solution - a comprehensive agreement that will return all 58 hostages and end the war. The Israeli government can achieve it as early as tomorrow morning - if it so chooses. This is the will of the vast majority of citizens."