Israel wants assurances from the US that if it agrees to a 60-day Gaza ceasefire deal, it could restart its genocidal war if it deems that its conditions are not met in negotiations with Hamas, Middle East Eye reported on Friday, citing Israeli media.
Under the potential deal, the two sides would conduct negotiations during the 60-day truce on reaching a permanent ceasefire. According to an Israeli source speaking to Israel’s Channel 14, the current proposal includes a secret side letter from President Trump that would give Israel the green light to “renew the fire if our demands with regards to the disarmament of Hamas and the exile of its leaders are not met,” and Israel would be able to decide on whether or not to restart strikes on Gaza.
A ceasefire deal reached between Israel and Hezbollah in November 2024 also included a secret side letter from the US to Israel that said Israel could continue to bomb Lebanon if it determined Hezbollah was violating the deal. As a result, Israel has constantly violated the ceasefire with airstrikes, ground raids, and its continued occupation of areas of southern Lebanon.
The Middle East Eye report noted that the Channel 14 report cited a “member of the political echelon,” a phrase that’s often used to signal deliberate leaks by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. If it was a deliberate leak, that means its purpose could be to sabotage ceasefire negotiations, as Hamas’s main demand is for a stronger guarantee from the US that it’s committed to the deal turning into a permanent ceasefire.
Hamas offered several amendments to the US and Israeli proposal for a 60-day ceasefire, including a stronger guarantee from the US, clearer language on the Israeli withdrawal from certain parts of Gaza, and the unrestricted flow of aid led by the UN and the Palestinian Red Crescent.
Netanyahu has already called the Hamas amendments “unacceptable,” but also agreed to send negotiators to Doha for indirect talks. According to Palestinian sources speaking to Reuters, the first round of talks ended “inconclusively.”
During previous negotiations, Netanyahu frequently made public demands that were unacceptable to Hamas to scuttle the chances of a deal. An analysis published by Haaretz on Sunday suggested that the Israeli leader is trying to undermine the current negotiations, and that an agreement will likely only be reached if President Trump forces his hand.
Netanyahu is due to meet with President Trump at the White House on Monday, and the potential Gaza ceasefire deal is expected to be a major topic of conversation, along with the recent 12-day US-Israeli war on Iran.