Hamas leadership has rejected the latest ceasefire and hostage release negotiations, which were mediated in Doha on Thursday and Friday. The talks, aimed at de-escalating the ongoing conflict, fell apart under the direction of Yahya Sinwar, Hamas’s former Gaza chief and the architect of the October 7 massacre. Sinwar’s leadership appears to have hardened the group’s stance, as Hamas blamed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the failure of the talks, accusing him of “still putting obstacles in the way of reaching an agreement.”
Netanyahu has reportedly insisted that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) remain stationed along the Philadelphi Corridor, a critical nine-mile strip of land along Gaza’s southern border with Egypt, according to Foreign Desk News. This area has long been a point of contention, with Jerusalem accusing Hamas and other militant groups of using the corridor to smuggle weapons and other contraband into Gaza. In May, the Israeli military discovered at least 20 secret tunnels in the area that connect Gaza to Egypt, further escalating concerns about the flow of arms to Hamas operatives.
Another key issue in the failed negotiations was the status of the Netzarim Corridor, a strategically important sector between Gaza City and the central regions of the coastal enclave. Hamas objected to Netanyahu’s demand that Israel retain control of this corridor, which is vital for ensuring the IDF’s ability to quickly respond to threats in northern Gaza. Without Israeli forces in this area, Hamas could redeploy its fighters to northern Gaza, significantly reducing the IDF’s ability to react to potential attacks.
Before Hamas dismissed the proposal, Netanyahu, who is hosting U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken this week, stated to his cabinet: “There are things we can be flexible on and there are things that we cannot be flexible on, which we will insist on. We know how to distinguish between the two very well.”
