As Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held meetings Monday with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Special Envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff and then President Donald Trump, here is the latest on where things stand with ceasefire negotiations — and what’s on the Trump administration’s agenda when it comes to charting a course for the future of Gaza.
What’s on the table
The deal on the table would see ten living hostages — about half of the total amount of detainees believed to still be alive in Gaza — and the remains of 18 more returned to Israel in five separate releases in exchange for a 60-day ceasefire, the release of some Palestinian prisoners, and a surge of humanitarian aid for Palestinians in the enclave. T
he details of how that aid would be supplied and distributed are still under negotiation, according to an official familiar with the matter.
The expectation is that U.S.-backed talks to permanently end the war would pick up during the truce, officials say.
President Donald Trump holds a bilateral dinner with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio in attendance, at the White House, July 7, 2025.
Kevin Lamarque/Reuters
Where things stand
Israel has signed off on the main tenets of the proposal as it currently stands. Hamas has indicated it sees potential but still has some outstanding issues.
Officials familiar with the negotiations say that the biggest sticking point is consistent with failed talks in the past: Hamas wants assurances that a ceasefire will lead to a permanent end to war. It wants assurances that talks during the ceasefire on a permanent end to the war will continue beyond the 60-day window if it’s necessary.
Israel, meanwhile, is reluctant to sign on to any language that restricts military action.
Israel is also adamant that Hamas can’t be allowed to play any part in governing Gaza — a term the Trump administration is aligned with. Both governments are wary of allowing for a situation similar to what existed in Lebanon with Hezbollah, where a civilian government is in place but the militant group holds significant control.
Hamas also wants to see the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) end operations and the U.N. plus other international organizations allowed to fully resume distribution. U.S. officials say they believe there is some room for compromise on this point, but don’t foresee the U.S.-backed GHF being fully pushed out.
Daniel Dannon, Israel’s ambassador to the U.N., told reporters last week he could foresee some “combination” of GHF and the U.N. administering aid in a “day-after” scenario for Gaza.
Israeli and Hamas officials are holding indirect proximity talks in Doha to try to resolve some of the differences, and the White House said earlier Monday that Witkoff would travel there this week.
Witkoff’s involvement is seen as a promising sign for the prospect of reaching an agreement, but also as an indication that it will take more high-level engagement from the U.S. to get it over the finish line.
Where things go next
Officials are very much looking at President Trump and other key Cabinet member meeting with Netanyahu as working engagements, because even though Israel sees eye to eye with the U.S on the major terms of the ceasefire agreement, the administration is looking to Netanyahu as it attempts to work out an endgame and settle on objectives for the “day after” in Gaza.
Trump has largely focused on expanding the Abraham Accords, an agreement in his first term that led to normalization of relations between Israel and some Arab nations. He’s also proposed a relocation plan for Gaza’s two million Palestinians, which Netanyahu endorsed at the time.
An expansion of the Abraham Accords and a “day-after” proposal for Gaza are both seen as needing broader regional buy-in from influential Arab States, like Saudi Arabia.
Many of them are insistent the PA should play a role in governing Gaza, which Israel has opposed. Working-level discussions on Gaza with those Middle Eastern governments are happening on a continuous basis.
Trump is seeking a big win in Gaza — and momentum on Iran
Trump is seeking a “victory with a capital “V” during Netanyahu’s visit, said Dana Stroul, a former deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East from 2021 to 2023.
The president, who has said he’ll measure the success of his presidency by the wars he’s ended, will look to ride off of the ceasefire he brokered in Iran with a ceasefire in Gaza.
He “not only has leverage, but has built up goodwill” with Netanyahu after the U.S. joined Israel’s war in Iran, Stroul said.
“President Trump has put resources in the game, not just words. And so he has leverage at this moment in time to tell Netanyahu, it’s time to wind down the wars in Gaza,” she said.
While it’s not clear what diplomatic outcome the U.S. is seeking in Iran after its strikes there, the president could try to deposit his goodwill and “make clear [to Netanyahu] how he wants to move forward on the Iran file.”
“It certainly has the makings of a grand bargain,” Stroul said. But a ceasefire would only temporarily halt fighting before a broad “day-after” agreement for Gaza — and the region — can be negotiated.
