Report: Israel to offer expanded Gaza withdrawal after Qatar warns talks could collapse

Israel’s negotiating team expected to present new maps for Israeli withdrawal from parts of Gaza Strip during latest round of talks in Qatar, even as official blasts Hamas “obstinance” for blocking agreement.

By David Rosenberg, World Israel News

Israel is preparing to offer greater concessions to Hamas to overcome the terror group’s ongoing opposition to the IDF’s presence in key parts of the Gaza Strip during a potential ceasefire, Israeli media reported Saturday night.

Israeli negotiators are set to resume brokered talks with Hamas in Doha, Qatar, on Sunday, days after Qatar warned that the terror group would not accept Israel’s proposed redeployment in the Gaza Strip and that negotiations were in danger of collapse.

The deadlock in the ceasefire talks reportedly centers on the extent of an Israeli redeployment in the Gaza Strip.

Hamas has demanded Israel withdraw from nearly all of the coastal enclave, returning to the lines set during the January 2025 ceasefire and held until the collapse of the truce on March 2.

Israel, on the other hand, is pushing to retain control over strategically important zones, chief among them the Morag Corridor, which separates the cities of Khan Yunis and Rafah in the southern Strip.

According to a report by Israel’s Channel 12 News, following warnings by Qatari brokers that Hamas would not accept the previous Israeli proposal, the Israeli negotiating team is set to present new maps to mediators on Sunday.

The new maps, according to the report, include some unspecified Israeli concessions in the Morag Corridor.

Al-Arabiya appeared to confirm the claim, reporting over the weekend that Arab mediators are waiting for Israel to submit plans for an expanded redeployment in the Gaza Strip.

An Israeli official cited by the Channel 12 News report blasted Hamas for its ongoing refusal to compromise despite Israel’s demonstration of “a willingness to be flexible.”

“Israel has shown a willingness to be flexible in the negotiations, while Hamas remains obstinate, clinging to positions that prevent the mediators from advancing an agreement,” the official said.

“If Hamas had accepted the Qatari proposal, it would have been possible to reach an agreement and begin a 60-day negotiation on ending the war in accordance with Israel’s war goals.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is gearing up to face likely internal opposition to the new concessions, Channel 12 News reported, making overtures to Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, urging them not to bolt the coalition in the event of a ceasefire deal.