Worthy Christian News > Israel-Palestinian Conflict > Hostage Deal Nearing Final Stage as Israel, Hamas Haggle Over IDF Presence in Gaza During Ceasefire

Hostage Deal Nearing Final Stage as Israel, Hamas Haggle Over IDF Presence in Gaza During Ceasefire

by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Washington D.C. Bureau Chief

(Worthy News) – Negotiations between Israel and Hamas are inching toward a potential 60-day ceasefire and hostage release deal, but a core dispute remains unresolved: the deployment of Israeli troops in Gaza throughout the truce period. While both sides agree that significant progress has been made, talks in Doha are intensifying over troop presence, humanitarian aid delivery, and the long-term status of the war.

A source familiar with the negotiations told The Jerusalem Post that Israel presented a new proposal, including detailed troop deployment maps, focusing on areas south of the Morag Corridor. While Hamas demands a complete IDF withdrawal–mirroring the previous truce in January–Israel insists on maintaining a limited military footprint in key areas. Two Israeli officials confirmed the new maps reflect a significant concession by Jerusalem.

Despite the friction, optimism is cautiously growing. “Israel is showing more flexibility… In our view, it’s possible to reach an agreement soon,” an official said. Hamas, meanwhile, has agreed in principle to release ten hostages, though it described the talks as “tough” due to Israel’s “intransigence.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, currently in Washington for a high-level diplomatic visit, reinforced Israel’s position in a Fox News interview: “I believe there’s a good chance we will reach a ceasefire, and it will bring us closer to the goal I have set.” That goal, he emphasized, includes not just the release of all hostages, but the complete dismantling of Hamas’s military and governing structures.

Netanyahu met Tuesday night with U.S. President Donald Trump in a 45-minute meeting hailed by Israeli officials as demonstrating “total coordination” between the two allies on Gaza, Iran, and regional stability. Following the meeting, a senior Israeli official said 80 to 90 percent of the deal with Hamas has already been agreed upon. “We hoped the answer would be yes, and then it would take a few days. It can take more time, but we are working on it.”

Meanwhile, Hamas issued a statement describing itself as engaging with “responsible flexibility” and emphasizing the need for guarantees on humanitarian aid and a binding commitment to a permanent ceasefire. “Despite Israel’s stubbornness,” the group said, “we are serious and constructive in our talks.”

In Gaza, the IDF continues ground and air operations against Hamas and other terror groups. Over the past 24 hours, the military reported operations in Shejaiya, Zeitoun, and Rafah. Troops dismantled explosives, destroyed terrorist infrastructure, and targeted Hamas weapon facilities. Over 100 terror targets were struck by the Israeli Air Force, including tunnels, weapon depots, and militant cells.

IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir said that “conditions have been created” for a deal due to Israel’s battlefield successes in Operation Gideon’s Chariots. Speaking at a graduation ceremony, Zamir warned against those attacking the military’s morality, calling such criticism “despicable.”

Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari said talks are still in the framework phase. “We are speaking with them separately… so talks have not begun, as of yet,” he told reporters in Doha. Still, reports from Qatari media indicate progress on the aid mechanism clause, with Hamas demanding aid be channeled via the United Nations rather than the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.

The main sticking point–whether the deal constitutes a temporary pause or a permanent end to hostilities–remains unresolved. A senior Israeli official clarified that Israel envisions post-war Gaza without Hamas: “Its people have given up, the leaders have been exiled, and another force manages the territory.”

The same official added that discussions are ongoing about the future governance of Gaza. “Maybe for a certain amount of time, it is us… If we’re not there for a stage, we might not be able to pass it on.”

In a notable revelation, Israeli officials said they believe President Trump is “serious” about encouraging voluntary emigration from Gaza, an idea discussed in recent strategy sessions.

The talks are also set against the backdrop of unprecedented cooperation between the U.S. and Israel on Iran. Following a 12-day Israeli air campaign against Tehran’s nuclear and military infrastructure–reportedly coordinated with the U.S.–a senior Israeli official described the relationship as “the strongest it has ever been,” with seamless diplomatic and military collaboration.

As negotiations continue in Doha, all sides acknowledge that time is needed–but pressure is mounting. Mediators have reportedly been told that President Trump expects a breakthrough by the end of the week. Whether that materializes hinges on the final compromises over IDF withdrawal and long-term ceasefire guarantees.

Spiritual Frontlines: Beyond the Battlefield

While a ceasefire agreement may be drawing closer, the deeper ideological and spiritual struggle remains far from over. If Hamas ultimately concedes defeat, it would not simply be a political loss—it would symbolically strike at the heart of Islam’s jihadist narrative. For a movement steeped in theological militancy, defeat at the hands of Israel could be interpreted by some as a public declaration of the weakness of Allah himself, challenging the very premise of their religious war.

This is why, even with a temporary ceasefire, the ideological battle is likely to persist until the theological foundations of jihad are dismantled. In Psalm 83, Scripture describes a conspiracy of nations plotting together to wipe out Israel’s memory, a prophetic foreshadowing that resonates with today’s coalition of terror groups. The Psalm implores God to “deal with them as with Midian, as with Sisera,” echoing judgments found in Jeremiah, where such enemies were associated with crescent moons—a symbol now synonymous with Islam.

The psalm concludes with a divine purpose behind such defeats: “That they may seek Your name, O LORD.” Could we be nearing a moment where ideological strongholds begin to collapse and hearts in Gaza turn toward truth? As physical warfare begins to quiet, a deeper spiritual realignment may be on the horizon.

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