Netanyahu said the changes Hamas requested to the truce terms are “unacceptable” [Getty]
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has approved, after much debate and tense talks, sending negotiators to Doha, but noted that changes Hamas has requested to the 60-day truce are “unacceptable”.
According to reports in Israeli media, it took five hours of heated talks for the cabinet to agree to send a team to Doha, which is helping mediate ceasefire talks.
However, Netanyahu said changes requested by Hamas are “unacceptable,”, just days after the Palestinian group said they engaged with the proposal “positively”.
Hamas’ requests include for talks to end the war completely to continue during the pause in fighting and at the end of the temporary truce, for humanitarian aid to be delivered through UN-led mechanisms rather than the controversial US and Israel backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) and changes made to where Israeli forces can be in Gaza.
Israel’s Broadcasting Authority also reported on Sunday that Netanyahu made it clear to the far-right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich and national security minister Ben-Gvir that Israel would not end the war without “demilitarising Gaza”.
Both ministers oppose the end to the war and oppose any distribution of aid in the besieged enclave.
Despite this, thousands of Israelis went out into the streets of Tel Aviv and other cities on Saturday to demand the release of all captives and an end to the war.
Families of the captives participated in a joint conference held in front of the ministry of defence in Tel Aviv where they demanded a comprehensive deal that would secure the return of all captives at once.
Netanyahu is head to meet US President Donald Trump in Washington on Monday to discuss the truce with Hamas.
Israel kills over 100 in 24 hours
The latest developments come as families in eastern Gaza City have gone one week now without any water due to the Israeli blockade, raising concerns over dehydration and the spread of disease.
On Sunday morning, Israeli forces killed at least 32 Palestinians, targeting a home in Gaza City and other residential areas.
Israeli attacks across Gaza killed at least 78 Palestinians on Saturday, medics reported, including at least nine people who were killed near a GHF distribution point.
The World Food Programme has renewed its calls for the immediate opening of more safe routes to deliver aid to residents.
The organisation said that one in every three people in Gaza is going without food for several days.
Israel’s war on Gaza has killed 61,700 Palestinians since 7 October 2023. The war has levelled entire neighbourhoods and plunged the Strip into a deep humanitarian crisis.
