By: Fern Sidman

As the war in Gaza grinds into its twentieth month, a new window for de-escalation may be opening, shaped by renewed American diplomatic engagement and a refined mediation proposal from Qatar. According to a source familiar with the details who spoke to The Jerusalem Post, Qatar has formally submitted a revised ceasefire initiative to both Israel and Hamas based on the Witkoff framework—a diplomatic architecture originally designed by U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, now updated with minor additions intended to satisfy both parties’ immediate concerns.

This development comes at a critical juncture. Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer has been engaged in intensive discussions with senior U.S. officials in Washington this week, as the Trump administration pushes for a cessation of hostilities and the foundation of a post-Hamas governance model in Gaza.

As reported on Tuesday in The Jerusalem Post, Dermer’s talks with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Vice President J.D. Vance, and Special Envoy Witkoff are centered on three parallel goals: achieving an initial ceasefire, ensuring the release of hostages, and outlining a “day after” plan for Gaza’s governance and long-term demilitarization.

At the core of the updated proposal is a carefully calibrated sequence: a 60-day ceasefire during which negotiations to end the war would officially begin, under the assurance that measurable progress had already been made on critical issues. The initial day of the ceasefire would be marked by the release of eight living hostages. Two more hostages would be freed near the end of the truce, with the remains of 15 Israeli victims also returned.

According to the information provided in The Jerusalem Post report, this phased framework is designed to provide both sides with tangible gains upfront—Israel with hostages, Hamas with a temporary reprieve from airstrikes—and to create political space for sensitive talks to unfold over the course of two months. Witkoff has reportedly conveyed to Qatari and Egyptian intermediaries that President Trump is personally invested in seeing this process reach a breakthrough in the coming days.

“The president is appalled by the sights coming from both Israel and Gaza throughout this war. He wants it to end. He wants to save lives,” said White House Press Secretary Karoline Levitt on Monday. “The president’s top priority is to bring all the abductees home from Gaza.”

President Trump’s growing involvement in this round of diplomacy reflects his post-Iran War momentum. Fresh off what he hailed as a “historic military success” in Operation Midnight Hammer—during which U.S. B-2 bombers helped obliterate Iranian nuclear infrastructure—Trump now sees Gaza as the next diplomatic frontier. “Netanyahu wants to end the war in Gaza,” Trump told reporters on Tuesday. “I believe we will have a deal next week. I’m going to be very firm with Netanyahu about ending the war.”

As The Jerusalem Post reported, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to meet with Trump on Monday at the White House. The Israeli Security Cabinet is expected to convene on Thursday to determine whether to dispatch an official delegation to Qatar or Egypt—two capitals that have played critical roles as mediators throughout this conflict. Notably, Israel has not yet sent envoys to either location during this latest round of diplomacy, reflecting skepticism within segments of the coalition over Hamas’s sincerity.

Nonetheless, sources close to Dermer told The Jerusalem Post that he has urged his American counterparts to increase pressure on Doha to extract a firm commitment from Hamas. “The administration needs to tell Qatar to pressure Hamas to say yes, so that concrete understandings can be reached within days,” Dermer reportedly told officials in Washington.

However, whether Hamas will accept the revised Witkoff framework remains an open question. Previous negotiations have exposed fissures within the terrorist organization, particularly between the political leadership in Qatar and the military command in Gaza. The Jerusalem Post report cited the recent internal struggle over whether to release Edan Alexander, a dual Israeli-American hostage, as a possible harbinger of further discord within the Hamas hierarchy.

Those involved in the mediation process anticipate renewed debate among Hamas decision-makers, especially concerning the return of hostages and the surrender of leverage during an ongoing war. The organization continues to frame its military operations as resistance rather than terrorism—a characterization rejected outright by both Israel and the United States.

A critical feature of the proposal being shaped by Dermer and Witkoff is the so-called “day after” plan—an emerging blueprint for governing Gaza in the aftermath of the war. As The Jerusalem Post has emphasized in its coverage, this remains the thorniest unresolved element. Israeli leaders insist that any truce must be accompanied by structural guarantees that Hamas will not be allowed to reconstitute itself militarily or politically in Gaza.

Options under consideration include a hybrid governance model involving local Palestinian leaders unaffiliated with Hamas, security oversight by a multinational Arab force, and international reconstruction funding contingent upon demilitarization. Egyptian and Emirati officials are reportedly supportive of this approach, though they have yet to publicly commit troops or funding.

American officials involved in the talks believe that the success of any ceasefire depends on clarity regarding Gaza’s future. “A temporary truce is not an end in itself,” one U.S. official told The Jerusalem Post. “It must open the door to a new and durable reality—one without Hamas rockets, tunnels, or terror.”

For Netanyahu, the push for a ceasefire comes at a politically sensitive time. His unity government—once solidified by the national trauma of the October 7th massacre—has come under increasing strain. With prominent figures such as Benny Gantz and Gadi Eisenkot recently exiting the war cabinet, pressure is mounting from both hawkish and centrist blocs. According to the information contained in The Jerusalem Post report, Netanyahu is navigating demands from the far-right to continue the military campaign in Gaza indefinitely, even as international allies urge a shift to diplomacy.

A ceasefire brokered with American support, timed with a high-profile visit to the White House, could provide the Israeli premier with a narrative of both strength and pragmatism. It would also allow for the return of hostages, a priority for the Israeli public that remains emotionally resonant nearly a year after they were abducted.

The next several days may prove decisive. With Qatari mediators reengaged, a coherent plan on the table, and both the United States and Israel invested in finding a workable off-ramp, the conditions for a limited ceasefire and hostage deal appear closer than at any point in recent months. As The Jerusalem Post report noted, the key question now is not whether a deal is possible—but whether Hamas will accept terms that bring the war one step closer to its end, and a battered Gaza one step closer to an uncertain future.