Bassem Naim, an official in Hamas' political wing, speaks in Istanbul, Turkey, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
ISTANBUL (AP) — A Hamas official said Thursday that international mediators have resumed negotiating with the militant group and Israel over a ceasefire in Gaza, and that he was hopeful a deal to end the 14-month war was within reach.
Ceasefire negotiations were halted last month when Qatar suspended talks with mediators from Egypt and the United States because of frustration over a lack of progress between Israel and Hamas. But there has been a “reactivation” of efforts in recent days to end the fighting, release hostages from Gaza and free Palestinian prisoners in Israel, according to Bassem Naim, an official in Hamas’ political bureau who spoke with The Associated Press in Turkey.
Another official familiar with the talks confirmed the return of Qatari mediators. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the negotiations with the media.
Since the talks broke down, there have been significant shifts in the global and regional landscape. Donald Trump won the U.S. presidential election, and a ceasefire was declared last week between Israel and Hamas ally Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Trump is a staunch supporter of Israel, but Naim said he believes the incoming administration could “affect the situation positively” given that Trump had made halting wars in the region part of his campaign platform. Trump this week called for the release of all hostages held in Gaza by the time he takes office on Jan. 20, saying there would be “hell to pay” if that doesn't happen.
Previous rounds of negotiations focused on variations of a proposal calling for a multiphased ceasefire — beginning with a preliminary six-week halt in fighting during which female, elderly and sick hostages would be freed in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
During that time, Israel would pull back some forces, and displaced Palestinians would be allowed to return home. The sides would also begin talks on the next phase that would include the full withdrawal of Israeli forces, the release of remaining hostages and the terms of a permanent end to the war. A third, final phase would focus on reconstruction.
Naim said that no “solid, well-formed” new ceasefire proposal has yet been presented to Hamas. And even though ceasefire talks have broken down on multiple occasions throughout the war, he added: “I think it is not a big challenge to reach a deal … if there are intentions on the other side."
Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking around 250 people hostage. Israel’s blistering retaliatory offensive has killed at least 44,500 Palestinians, more than half of them women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, whose count does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.
In the negotiations to end the conflict, the two sides have been at odds on some major points, including whether any halt in the fighting would be permanent or temporary and whether Israeli forces would withdraw from all of the enclave, and on what timetable. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel will maintain a long-term military presence in the territory and vowed to dismantle Hamas' military capabilities and ensure that the militant group never governs again.
Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff met separately in recent weeks with Netanyahu and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani to discuss Gaza ceasefire talks, according to a U.S. official who spoke anonymously because they were not authorized to comment publicly.
In an interview with British broadcaster Sky News on Wednesday, the Qatari prime minister said officials in his country are aiming to reach a ceasefire before president-elect Trump takes office.
Naim said Hamas is sticking to the core demands it has held to during previous rounds of negotiations, including a permanent ceasefire, total withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip, and the right of internally displaced Palestinians in Gaza to return to their homes. But he also said the Palestinian militant group is “ready to show flexibility” on implementation, including on the timeline for withdrawal of Israeli forces from key parts of Gaza.
A previous round of talks in August reached an impasse in part because Israel demanded that it after any ceasefire it should maintain a military presence in the Philadelphi corridor, a strategic strip along the enclave’s border with Egypt, and in the Netzarim corrider that cuts from east to west across the territory's midsection.
“There can be a discussion about these points, but at the end, Israel has to withdraw totally from the Philadelphi corridor, and the Rafah border (with Egypt) has to be opened immediately,” Naim said.
Naim said Palestinian factions were also making progress in deciding who would rule Gaza politically after the war. He confirmed that Hamas and its rival Fatah — which dominates the Western-backed Palestinian Authority — have reached an agreement in principle on forming a temporary committee of Palestinian technocrats that would govern Gaza in the immediate aftermath of the war. Under this arrangement, Hamas would give up its political rule of the enclave, but not lay down its arms.
“Originally we are a Palestinian national liberation movement. We are not a movement to govern,” he said. "When it comes to the military wing ... as long as we are people under occupation, we have all the right to resist this occupation by all means, including armed resistance.
Israel says it will never let Hamas rule Gaza again, and is demanding the group disarm.
Hamas political official Khalil al-Hayya had previously told AP that if an independent Palestinian state were established along 1967 borders, the group would lay down its arms. Naim said that remains the group’s position.
“Resistance, including armed resistance, is a tool," he said. "It is not a goal in itself.”