Netanyahu signals Israel's readiness for Gaza ceasefire

Israeli negotiators in Qatar are actively exploring multiple diplomatic tracks, including a short-term truce and a long-term settlement.

Israel opened the door to both a short-term ceasefire proposal and even a broader agreement to end the Gaza conflict entirely, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said on Sunday.

Until now, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected any permanent ceasefire that does not dismantle Hamas's military and governing capabilities. (via REUTERS)

Israeli negotiators in Qatar are actively exploring multiple diplomatic tracks, including a short-term truce and a long-term settlement.

"Under the prime minister's direction, even at this hour, the negotiating team in Doha is working to exhaust every possibility for a deal -- whether according to the Witkoff outline or within the framework of ending the war, which would include the release of all hostages, the exile of Hamas terrorists, and the disarmament of the Gaza Strip," Netanyahu's office said.

The “Witkoff outline,” reportedly proposed by US special envoy Steve Witkoff, includes a phased roadmap beginning with a temporary ceasefire and the release of Israeli hostages. In return, Israel would consider the release of Palestinian security prisoners, with the longer-term aim of achieving a comprehensive and permanent ceasefire through continued diplomacy.

Until now, Netanyahu has rejected any permanent ceasefire that does not dismantle Hamas's military and governing capabilities. His previous stance only allowed for a limited pause of about 45 days, contingent on the release of around 10 hostages.

Netanyahu's office reaffirmed that any final agreement must meet Israel's long-standing war aims: "The release of all hostages, the exile of Hamas terrorists, and the disarmament of the Gaza Strip."

The statement also credited Netanyahu's combined strategy of "military and diplomatic pressure" for having already secured the return of 197 hostages. "The government is doing everything possible to return the 58 remaining captives," it added.

Israel govt not to allow anything less than defeating Hamas

However, agreement within the governing coalition was not unanimous. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir rejected the notion of a framework for ending the war that does not result in Hamas's defeat.

"A framework to end the war without defeating Hamas - will not arise and will not happen," he wrote on the social media platform X.

The latest signals from Israel come amid growing international pressure for a halt to the war, rising civilian casualties in Gaza, and mounting concern over the humanitarian crisis.

Israel on Mohammed Sinwar's killing

Meanwhile, Defence Minister Israel Katz told the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee on Sunday that Mohammed Sinwar, Hamas's highest commander and brother of the terror group's late leader, Yahya Sinwar, was likely killed in an Israeli airstrike in Khan Yunis on Wednesday.

Although the Israel Defence Forces has not confirmed Sinwar's death, "all indications" point that way, Katz told the committee.

According to an unconfirmed report in Saudi Arabia's Al-Arabiya paper, the bodies of Sinwar and 10 of his aides have been found in a tunnel in Khan Yunis in southern Gaza. Sinwar is believed to have been killed in an Israeli airstrike on a Hamas command centre under the European Hospital.