Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on July 18, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 22, 2026
Hamas insists on a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, linking it to interim truce talks. Negotiations face challenges with hostage release and Israeli demands.
CAIRO (Reuters) -Hamas' armed wing spokesperson said on Friday that while the group favours reaching an interim truce in the Gaza war, if such an agreement is not reached in current negotiations it could revert to insisting on a full package deal to end the conflict.
Hamas has repeatedly offered to release all the hostages held in Gaza and conclude a permanent ceasefire agreement, and Israel has refused, Abu Ubaida added in a televised speech.
Arab mediators Qatar and Egypt, backed by the United States, have hosted more than 10 days of talks on a U.S.-backed proposal for a 60-day truce in the war that has laid waste to the Palestinian enclave.
As part of the potential deal, 10 hostages held in Gaza would be returned along with the bodies of 18 others, spread out over 60 days. In exchange, Israel would release a number of detained Palestinians.
"If the enemy remains obstinate and evades this round as it has done every time before, we cannot guarantee a return to partial deals or the proposal of the 10 captives," said Abu Ubaida.
Disputes remain over maps of Israeli army withdrawals, aid delivery mechanisms into Gaza, and guarantees that any eventual truce would lead to ending the war, said two Hamas officials who spoke to Reuters on Friday.
The officials said the talks have not reached a breakthrough on the issues under discussion.
Hamas says any agreement must lead to ending the war, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the war will only end once Hamas is disarmed and its leaders expelled from Gaza.
(Reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi and Ahmed TolbaWriting by Enas Alashray and Nidal al-MughrabiEditing by Frances Kerry)
A truce is a temporary cessation of hostilities, often used to allow for negotiations or humanitarian aid.
A hostage release refers to the act of freeing individuals who have been captured and held against their will, often negotiated during conflicts.
Negotiation is the process by which conflicting parties communicate to reach an agreement or resolve their differences.
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