Hamas has dramatically raised the stakes in ceasefire talks, delivering an “improved” but still audacious set of demands, including a full IDF withdrawal from Gaza’s population centers, UN-exclusive aid control, and a massive surge in the release of life-sentenced prisoners for each Israeli soldier.
In a high-stakes power play that threatens to redefine the parameters of a Gaza ceasefire, the murderous terror organization Hamas has delivered a series of audacious demands to mediators, as reported by Al-Araby Al-Jadeed newspaper on Wednesday evening. While an Israeli official has cautiously noted an “improvement” over a previously rejected offer, these new conditions are nothing short of a game-changer, putting the “ball… now in Israel’s court.”
Hamas’s core demands, revealed by sources familiar with the negotiations, center on a drastic alteration of IDF deployment and humanitarian aid mechanisms within the Gaza Strip:
- Radical IDF Redeployment: Hamas is insisting that IDF forces completely withdraw from Gaza’s population centers and redeploy solely along the eastern and northern borders, maintaining a distance of no closer than 800 meters from the border. This would represent a significant shift in Israel’s military presence.
- UN-Exclusive Aid Control: The terror group is demanding that all humanitarian aid be transferred exclusively through UN agencies, a direct rejection of the current system involving an American company overseeing food deliveries. This move could grant Hamas greater indirect influence over aid distribution.
- Permanent Cessation Guarantees: Beyond the initial 60-day ceasefire, Hamas seeks ironclad guarantees for a complete cessation of hostilities and a commitment to continue negotiations if a permanent agreement isn’t reached within that timeframe.
- Full Rafah Crossing Reopening: A major and potentially immediate breakthrough could be the demand for the full reopening of the Rafah crossing into Egypt. This would allow for family reunifications and, critically, the return of displaced residents to Gaza, marking the first such mass re-entry since the war’s onset. Palestinian Arab sources suggest this demand is “highly likely to be accepted by Israel.”
- Escalated Prisoner Exchange: In the next phase of any deal, Hamas is dramatically upping the ante, demanding a significant increase in the number of security prisoners serving life sentences to be released in exchange for each living Israeli soldier held captive. This could far surpass previous exchange ratios.
Despite Hamas’s intensified demands, officials in Jerusalem have conveyed a firm message: Israel does not intend to offer further concessions, asserting that a series of compromises have already been made to advance the release of hostages.
As the US Special Envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, prepares for a crucial meeting with Israeli Minister Ron Dermer and a senior Qatari official in Sardinia, the world watches to see if these audacious demands will derail or, surprisingly, lead to an unforeseen pathway toward a ceasefire in the embattled region.
