The Japan Times - Israel FM says Hamas truce deal 'achievable' despite hurdles in talks

Gideon Saar maintained that Israel was serious about wanting to reach a deal to end the 21 months of bitter fighting in the devastated territory, and believed it was "achievable".

"If a temporary ceasefire is achieved, we will negotiate on a permanent ceasefire," he added in a speech in the Slovakian capital Bratislava, as the indirect talks between the two sides stretched into a fourth day in Doha.

Saar's comments -- echoing optimism from US special envoy Steve Witkoff -- came after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday met US President Donald Trump for the second time this week in Washington.

Israeli efforts to crush Hamas and release hostages dominated discussions, Netanyahu said afterwards, promising no let-up in the military campaign and "the elimination of Hamas's military and governing capabilities".

But Hamas, whose bloody October 7, 2023 attack on Israel sparked the war in Gaza, said it would never give up.

"Gaza will not surrender... and the resistance will impose the conditions, just as it imposed the equations," a statement read.

- 'Mostly listening' -

A Palestinian official close to the talks blamed Israel for a lack of progress when discussions broke up late Tuesday because of its "refusal to accept the free entry of aid" into Gaza.

Another Palestinian source familiar with the negotiations said the Israeli delegation was "mostly listening rather than negotiating, which reflects Netanyahu's ongoing policy of obstruction and sabotaging any potential agreement".

Witkoff, however, was more upbeat, in line with Trump who has pushed for a ceasefire deal.

"We are hopeful that by the end of this week we will have an agreement that will bring us into a 60-day ceasefire," Witkoff said.

The deal would include the return of 10 living hostages held by Palestinian militant groups since October 2023, and nine dead hostages, Witkoff added.

Of 251 hostages seized during the attack, 49 are still held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead.

Hamas has rebuffed pressure to release all the hostages, demanding an end to the war and a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, while Israel wants to ensure militants in Gaza never again pose a threat to its security.

Qatari mediators had warned on Tuesday that it would take time to seal a deal, though Trump kept up his push to reach an agreement.

"It's a tragedy, and he wants to get it solved, and I want to get it solved, and I think the other side wants to," Trump told reporters, in reference to Netanyahu and Hamas.

Asked earlier as he met US House speaker Mike Johnson if a ceasefire announcement was imminent, Netanyahu replied: "We're certainly working on it."

- 'Like an earthquake' -

On the ground, Gaza's civil defence agency on Wednesday said 22 people, including at least six children, were killed in Israeli strikes. The military said it was looking into two of the strikes which killed 20.

"The explosion was massive, like an earthquake," said Zuhair Judeh, 40, who witnessed one of the strikes, which prompted frantic scenes as people scrabbled in the rubble for survivors.

"It destroyed the house and several nearby homes. The bodies and remains of the martyrs were scattered," he added, calling it "a horrific massacre".

Due to restrictions imposed on media in the Gaza Strip and difficulties accessing the area, AFP is unable to independently verify the death tolls and details shared by the parties involved.

Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.

Israel's retaliatory campaign has killed at least 57,680 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry. The UN considers the figures reliable.

The military meanwhile said its troops crossed the border into southern Lebanon as part of targeted operations to dismantle infrastructure belonging to Hamas's Iran-backed militant allies Hezbollah.

A video shared by the army claimed to show infantry troops on the ground just over the border, although AFP was unable to verify the footage, the time or location it was shot.

Israel signed a truce with Hezbollah last November but has kept up its strikes, targeting what it claims are the group's sites and operatives but also those from Hamas.

T.Ueda--JT