Negotiations for ceasefire locks and Israel expands military occupation in Gaza

The diplomatic impasse between Israel and Hamas remains unchanged. Despite new mediation efforts by Egypt, Qatar and the United States, the negotiations for a ceasefire faces obstacles considered insurmountable by both parties.

The most recent proposal foresees a temporary truce of 45 days, with prisoners’ exchanges and the restoration of humanitarian aid, but the Israeli requirement for disarmament of Hamas and the refusal to commit to troop removal have unfeasible any concrete advance.

According to documents obtained by Reuters, the Israeli proposal includes the release of ten live hostages in exchange for 120 Palestinian prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment, as well as more than 1,000 detainees captured since October 7, 2023.

It also provides for the return of humanitarian aid, opening corridors for reconstruction and the beginning of indirect negotiations to end the war. Hamas, however, rejected Israel’s condition of handing over his weapons, classifying it as a “red line.”

For Hamas, any truce that does not include the complete withdrawal of the troops, the end of the block and the commitment to the reconstruction of the enclave is equivalent to a political trap.

“Any proposal that does not bring real warranties of the end of the war will be a trap,” the group said in a statement. The organization also denies that it is willing to negotiate the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip.

While diplomatic negotiations stagnate, Israel continues to expand his military presence at the enclave. According to Defense Minister Israel Katz, the Israeli army will maintain a permanent “security zone” within Gaza, even in case of ceasefire.

According to his statements, more than 20% of the territory is already under direct occupation of Israel’s defense forces (FDI), including regions such as Rafah, Khan Youis, Netzarim and Shejaia.

Katz compared the model to the Israeli presence in southern parts of Lebanon and the Golhan hills, reaffirming that the priority is to ensure a cord of isolation between Gaza and the Israeli communities. He also defended the permanence of blockade to humanitarian aid, although he has stated that Israel is developing infrastructure to allow future supply distribution by civil companies.

The humanitarian crisis, however, continues to get worse. Since the resumption of the offensive on March 18, more than 1,600 Palestinians have been killed, raising the total to more than 51,000 victims, according to the Ministry of Health of Gaza.

The NGO Médicos Without Borders said Gaza has become a “common ditch”, with hospitals paralyzed for lack of fuel, medicines and drinking water. Blocking also prevents food access and aggravates the situation of hundreds of thousands of internal displaced people.

In parallel, the impasse on the hostages remains at the center of the crisis. The current proposal provides that, after the first exchange, Hamas provides proof of life of the remaining hostages and delivers the bodies of the dead. In return, Israel would return the bodies of detained Palestinians.

A symbolic gesture included in the proposal would be the immediate release of Israelo-American soldier Edan Alexander as a sign of goodwill with the United States. However, Hamas claims to have lost contact with the group that kept him in custody after an Israeli attack.

Given the impasse, the possibility of a sustained truce seems remote. With the maintenance of the maximum requirements on both sides and the intensification of the Israeli offensive, regional diplomacy follows unable to mediate a realistic exit for the conflict.

The fate of hostages, the civilian population of Gaza and the regional stability itself are suspended under the weight of a war -free war.