US envoy Witkoff hopes to join Gaza ceasefire talks in Qatar by end of the week as Israel awaits Hamas’ response

With several reports indicating that the ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas are nearing completion, U.S. White House envoy Steve Witkoff is reportedly preparing to join the negotiations in Qatar for the final stretch.

Witkoff’s arrival in Qatar has been widely reported to be the surest sign that negotiations were close to an agreement.

An Israeli security source told Walla News on Tuesday, “Some would say we are really at the last straw, and as part of the negotiations, we see quite a few actions that Hamas is taking in order to resonate or create narratives in order to influence the negotiations.”

An informed Arab diplomat told the Times of Israel that the talks’ trajectory was still positive and a deal is possible within several days.

Witkoff, who is set to travel to Rome this week, hopes to continue to Doha on the weekend, a source taking part in the mediation efforts told The Times.

The report tempered hopes of an imminent deal, caused by the earlier announcement of U.S. State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce that Witkoff was already on the way to Qatar.

Instead, Witkoff will meet senior Qatari officials and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, who is leading the negotiations on Israel’s behalf, Axios reported.

Informed sources told the outlet that the trilateral meeting, a follow-up to a similar summit in the White House two weeks ago, could be another strong sign that an agreement was close at hand.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed the current situation with Israel’s negotiating team in Doha on Tuesday, Israeli media reported.

Last week, significant Israeli concessions regarding the IDF’s withdrawal plans had caused widespread optimism that a deal was imminent.

However, since then, Hamas has delayed its response to the Israeli proposal and raised new obstacles with demands regarding the number and identity of Palestinian prisoners it wants to free.

A source told the Times of Israel that claims that Hamas’ team in Qatar could not reach its leaders in the Gaza Strip were part of a stalling tactic.

An Israeli official told Israeli news outlets on Wednesday that Hamas is soon expected to return with a positive response but also to include some objections regarding the withdrawal maps and the prisoners, necessitating further negotiations.

In addition, the issue of humanitarian aid is another open question, as Hamas opposes the creation of a new humanitarian city in Rafah as well as the work of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).

“Overall, the outlook is positive, but more time is needed to reach agreements,” the official said.

The Times of Israel cited a source saying that talks about the humanitarian issue were progressing.

Israeli, Egyptian and UN officials reportedly met on Tuesday to discuss the possibility of establishing yet another new mechanism that would answer Hamas’ demand to remove the GHF while satisfying Israel’s demand that aid will not reach the terror group.