CAIRO/JERUSALEM — July 12, 2025 : Efforts to broker a ceasefire in Gaza are faltering once more, as deep divisions persist between Israel and Hamas over the scope of Israeli military withdrawal from the war-ravaged enclave, reported by Arab News.
Negotiations in Doha, mediated by the United States and Qatar, center around a proposed 60-day truce that would include a phased release of hostages, Israeli troop pullbacks, and the groundwork for a permanent end to hostilities. But progress remains elusive.
According to sources familiar with the talks, Hamas has rejected Israel’s latest withdrawal maps, which would leave roughly 40% of Gaza — including all of southern Rafah and parts of the north and east — under Israeli control. Hamas insists on a full withdrawal to the positions held before Israel resumed its offensive in March.
Israeli officials maintain their demand that all hostages be freed and that Hamas be dismantled before any lasting ceasefire can be finalized. Meanwhile, humanitarian conditions in Gaza continue to deteriorate. Over 57,000 Palestinians have been killed since October 7, 2023, according to local health authorities, and nearly the entire population of over 2 million has been displaced.
The U.S. envoy, Steve Witkoff, who helped craft the latest ceasefire framework, is expected in Doha this week in a bid to revive momentum.
A Palestinian official noted that disputes over aid guarantees and the terms for ending the war still stand in the way of an agreement — though increased American pressure could tip the scales.
The war began when Hamas-led militants launched a deadly attack on Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. Of the 50 believed to remain in Gaza, at least 20 are thought to still be alive.
