Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu introduced new conditions in May that complicate negotiations aimed at releasing hostages and halting fighting in the Gaza Strip, U.S. and foreign officials said.
The New York Times first reported Netanyahu’s additional conditions, citing internal Israeli government documents outlining Israel’s negotiating position.
Indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas, mediated by the United States, Qatar and Egypt, have focused on a ceasefire proposal that would temporarily halt the conflict and secure the release of hostages held by Hamas and Palestinians held in Israeli custody.
But Netanyahu added new conditions, saying Israeli forces would continue to control Gaza’s southern border with Egypt and imposed further restrictions on Palestinians seeking to return to their homes in the strip, according to U.S. and foreign officials.
The Israeli side, represented by its intelligence chiefs and other officials in ceasefire talks, had been close to reaching an agreement, but once the outline of the deal was brought back to Jerusalem, “Prime Minister Netanyahu will move the goalposts and propose new terms,” a Middle East official told NBC News.
Netanyahu’s office said on Tuesday that reports that Israel had added new conditions to its proposal were “false” and that the letter he sent last month “does not introduce additional conditions and in no way contradicts or weakens the May 27 proposal.”
A Hamas representative in Lebanon told NBC News’ British partner broadcaster Sky News on Tuesday that the group will not take part in talks planned for this week in the Middle East. “Prime Minister Netanyahu is not interested in reaching an agreement that would completely end the aggression,” the representative said. “Rather he is deceiving and evading, and wants to prolong the war and even escalate it at the regional level.”
A State Department spokesman said Israel planned to send a delegation to the talks on Thursday.
Negotiations could be hampered by Iran’s declaration that it will attack Israel after the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last month. Picture taken in Algiers, Algeria, 2022. Fazil Abd Elahim/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Prime Minister Netanyahu has said publicly for more than a month that he has no intention of jeopardizing Israel’s security along the Egypt-Gaza border, also known as the Philadelphia Corridor.
Speaking at an IDF graduation ceremony last month, Netanyahu said any agreement must prevent “the return of armed terrorists and the bringing of weapons to the north.” [Gaza] strip.”
Israeli critics, including the hostages’ families, have accused Netanyahu of not prioritizing an agreement to temporarily halt the fighting and bring the Israeli hostages home.
They say Trump has been trying to appease far-right members of the ruling coalition who have threatened to withhold support for the regime if a ceasefire agreement is reached.
U.S., Western and Middle Eastern officials also say Hamas has often demonstrated an unwillingness to compromise, sometimes demanding new conditions that make it difficult to reach an agreement.
The Gaza war between Israel and Hamas began with a Hamas-led terrorist attack in Israel on October 7 that killed 1,200 people, most of them civilians. According to local health officials, around 40,000 Palestinians have been killed since Israel launched its retaliatory military operations in the Gaza Strip.
Hamas said in a statement on Sunday that Israel had added new conditions to its previous proposal, making clear its intention to continue its “aggression” in Gaza and sabotage any possible ceasefire agreement.
The group suggested that international mediators submit a plan to implement what was agreed upon last month, rather than undertake further negotiations or new proposals.
The United States, along with Qatar and Egypt, called on the parties this week to return to the negotiating table, but senior Biden administration officials acknowledged significant progress is needed before the two sides can agree to a cease-fire.
“We’re not going to be in a position to sign an agreement on Thursday,” a senior administration official told reporters. “There’s still a lot of work to be done, but we’re confident that the remaining issues will be closed and we really can’t waste time.”
The negotiations could also be upended by Iran’s declaration that it would attack Israel following the July 31 assassination in Tehran of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was leading negotiations between Israel and Hamas at the time.
Iran has accused Israel of orchestrating the assassination of Haniyeh, who was killed in a bomb attack while visiting Tehran for the inauguration of the country’s new president.
