The developments in the negotiations on Gaza's future – and a possible return to a ceasefire – have been intense over the weekend.
Hamas said it would accept a mediator proposal from Egypt, Qatar, and the USA on Saturday, with the addition that the movement must be allowed to keep its weapons. Israel responded immediately with a counter-proposal developed in cooperation with the USA.
The Israeli stance became clear only when Prime Minister Netanyahu presented a number of demands on Sunday. The main one was that Hamas' fighters demobilize:
Hamas must lay down its weapons, said Netanyahu when a government meeting began on Sunday.
"Deep cracks"
Then Netanyahu added that "Hamas leaders must be allowed to leave" Gaza.
The Prime Minister said that the increased military pressure on the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas in Gaza is working, and that deep cracks within Hamas' negotiating delegation have emerged.
Netanyahu dismissed criticism that the Israeli government is not negotiating to free the hostages, and he referred again to the military pressure on Hamas being effective:
We are negotiating under fire. We can see how cracks are beginning to emerge.
Criticism of Israel's government and Netanyahu personally is growing in Israel with extensive demonstrations concerning both domestic political issues of attempts at power concentration by the government and the failure to free all hostages.
New attacks on Gaza
Negotiations and developments are ongoing simultaneously with new Israeli attacks being carried out against targets in Gaza, primarily against the city of Khan Yunis on Sunday. The raids took place on the important Muslim holiday of id al-fitr, which marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan.
The fragile first step in a ceasefire was broken by Israel on March 18, followed by subsequent and recurring airstrikes.
Netanyahu has simultaneously said that Israel would maintain general security in Gaza and enable the American President Donald Trump's plan – "the voluntary migration plan" – to be implemented. Trump has said that he wants to relocate all Gazans to neighboring countries such as Jordan and Egypt and transform the area into "the Middle East's Riviera".
Netanyahu's later stance has been that he "wants to lean back and recommend" the solution, but that he does not intend to force it through.
