Ceasefire negotiations between Hamas and Israel have dragged on and there are few signs of any breakthrough that would bring relief to Gaza.
Attempts at negotiations began in November, with Hamas demanding an end to all hostilities, the release of thousands of Palestinians in Israeli prisons and the return of displaced people to their homes in northern Gaza.
Israel refuses to meet these demands.
In June, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu admitted he wanted a “partial” deal to return Israeli captives, but not to end a devastating war that has killed more than 40,000 people, uprooted nearly all of Gaza’s population and created mass starvation and outbreaks of deadly but preventable diseases.
Egypt, Qatar and the United States have been in talks, but Israel’s reluctance to end its war on Gaza has stood in the way of a deal, experts and Israeli officials say.
Here is a timeline of ceasefire talks – successful and unsuccessful – since October 7.
November 22
After more than six weeks of fighting, a brief breakthrough was achieved.
A first four-day ceasefire begins, with Hamas releasing 50 Israeli captives – mostly women and children – in exchange for 150 Palestinian women and children held in Israeli prisons.
Israel said it would extend the truce if Hamas released ten more prisoners a day.
Humanitarian aid is also allowed during the pause in fighting.
But Netanyahu does not want a permanent ceasefire, insisting that Israel’s goal is to completely “dismantle” Hamas – a goal that American and Israeli officials have since said is impossible.
December 2
Although the ceasefire was eventually extended for a week, with the release of 110 Gaza captives and 240 Palestinians from Israeli prisons, negotiations to extend the truce failed.
The dispute is over whether Hamas should release female soldiers as part of the same deal, and over Hamas’s insistence on demanding the release of all Palestinian prisoners.
Israel categorically refuses this request.
The war, which UN experts say could amount to genocide, is resuming.
December 10
The United States, Israel’s main ally, vetoed a UN Security Council proposal to end the war. The deputy US ambassador to the UN said an immediate halt to hostilities would only “plant the seeds for the next war,” denouncing Hamas’ refusal to accept a two-state solution.
But Hamas has accepted the two-state solution for nearly 20 years. In 2017, its new charter officially declared this.
Ismail Haniyeh, then head of Hamas’s political bureau, said he was studying a three-stage ceasefire proposal drawn up by Egyptian, Israeli, Qatari and American negotiators in Paris. It includes three phases:
- Phase 1: A definitive halt to the fighting, the release of some Israeli prisoners and an intensification of humanitarian aid to the besieged enclave
- Phase 2: Release of more Israeli prisoners, including female soldiers, in exchange for increased aid and restoration of major services
- Phase 3: Return of deceased Israeli captives in exchange for Palestinian prisoners
Netanyahu’s right-wing allies in the Israeli government warn that they will cause the fragile coalition to collapse if a permanent ceasefire occurs.
Netanyahu rejects the proposal, saying Hamas’s conditions are “illusory.”
Experts say Netanyahu fears his coalition partners will leave and early elections will be called at a time when his popularity is at its lowest.
February 20
For the third time, the United States has vetoed a UN Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. The US ambassador to the UN said the veto was due to concerns that the resolution would jeopardize negotiations between the United States, Egypt, Israel and Qatar.
Netanyahu welcomes US veto.
March 26
The United States ultimately chose to abstain rather than veto a UN Security Council ceasefire proposal, which passed with the support of 14 of the council’s 15 members.
However, the US later claims that the resolution is not “binding,” undermining the rules of the UN system and signaling its commitment to continue supporting Israel’s war on Gaza.
May 7
Hamas accepts a ceasefire proposed by Qatar and Egypt that follows the three-phase framework.
It stipulates that all Israeli captives – civilians and military – would be released in exchange for an unspecified number of Palestinian prisoners.
It calls on Israel to increase its aid, to gradually withdraw from Gaza and allow reconstruction, and to lift the siege it has imposed on the enclave since 2007.
But experts say Israel is unlikely to accept these conditions because it does not want a lasting ceasefire.
“Israel wants to reserve the right to continue its operations in Gaza,” said Mairav Zonszein, senior Israel-Palestine analyst for the International Crisis Group.
Two days later, Israel ignored growing calls for a ceasefire and launched an offensive on Rafah, Gaza’s southernmost city, where 1.4 million displaced Palestinians are seeking refuge.
July 31
Haniyeh was assassinated in Tehran while attending the inauguration of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
Iranian and American officials believe Israel is responsible for the incident. Israel neither officially confirms nor denies this.
Fears are growing that negotiations could break down after the assassination, particularly because Haniyeh was Hamas’s main interlocutor.
August 15
Netanyahu is still accused of blocking a deal.
He reportedly hardened his negotiating team’s position, insisting that Israeli forces must maintain control of Gaza’s southern border, a stipulation that was not previously included.
He also called for security checkpoints to be set up to search Palestinians hoping to return to their homes in northern Gaza, arrangements the negotiating team said could torpedo a ceasefire as a new round of talks opens.
Israel is sending a team to participate in ceasefire negotiations in Doha, requested by the United States, Egypt and Qatar. Hamas will not send representatives, according to reports, but has told the mediators it is ready to meet with them after the talks to determine whether the Israelis are serious about the truce proposals.
