An end to the war does not seem near. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is balancing competing pressures including the potential for mutiny within

Hundreds of thousands of Israelis took to the streets on Sunday to protest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to expand operations in the Gaza Strip, rather than attempt to negotiate an end to the war under which Hamas would free its last hostages.

Copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

It was unclear whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel was on board with the terms, which came as Qatar and Egypt were intensifying mediation efforts.

Hamas has told Egyptian and Qatari mediators it is willing to accept a ceasefire proposal to end the war in Gaza and secure the release of Israeli hostages, said a diplomat briefed on the talks. They said the Palestinian militant group had agreed to a deal that would preserve “98 per cent” of a proposal first put forward by US envoy Steve Witkoff in May,