Israel to Send Delegation to Gaza Talks Despite Hamas Requests for Changes, Prime Minister Says

Israel to Send Delegation to Gaza Talks Despite Hamas Requests for Changes, Prime Minister Says

Israel will send a delegation to Qatar on Sunday for proximity talks with Hamas regarding the latest proposal for a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release agreement.

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that he has accepted the invitation, despite changes that Hamas has requested to a plan presented by mediators from Qatar, the United States, and Egypt.

On Friday night, Hamas indicated it had provided a "positive response" to the proposal for a 60-day ceasefire and expressed readiness for negotiations. A Palestinian official reported that the group sought amendments, including a guarantee that hostilities would not resume if discussions on a permanent truce did not succeed.

In Gaza, the Civil Defence agency, which is administered by Hamas, reported that Israeli strikes and gunfire resulted in at least 35 Palestinian fatalities on Saturday. According to a hospital in Khan Younis, seven people, including a doctor and three children, were killed when tents in the al-Mawasi area were bombed.

Two American employees of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), an aid distribution organisation supported by Israel and the US, were injured in what the organisation described as a grenade attack at its site in the Khan Younis area. The Israeli and US governments attributed the incident to Hamas, which has not issued a comment.

Late on Saturday, the Israeli Prime Minister's Office released a statement noting that "the changes that Hamas is seeking to make" to the ceasefire proposal were "unacceptable to Israel." The statement continued: "In light of an assessment of the situation, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has directed that the invitation to proximity talks be accepted and that the contacts for the return of our hostages – on the basis of the Qatari proposal that Israel has agreed to – be continued. The negotiating team will leave tomorrow."

Earlier, an Israeli official informed local media that there was "something to work with" in Hamas's response. Mediators are expected to address remaining differences at the indirect talks in Doha.

US President Trump has commented on the negotiations, stating prior to being briefed on Hamas's response that it was "good" that the group was positive and that "there could be a Gaza deal next week." President Trump is scheduled to meet Netanyahu on Monday.

Families of Israeli hostages and Palestinians in Gaza continue to monitor developments. Hostages' relatives and supporters held a rally in Tel Aviv on Saturday night to advocate for a comprehensive agreement that would secure the release of all hostages. Yechiel Yehoud, whose daughter Arbel Yehoud was released during the previous ceasefire, addressed the rally.

"President Trump, thank you for bringing our Arbel back to us. We will be indebted to you for the rest of our lives. Please don't stop, please make a 'big beautiful hostages deal'," he said.

An overnight Israeli strike impacted a UN-run school sheltering displaced individuals in Gaza City.