Netanyahu's Gaza City Assault Tied To Fight For His Own Survival

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Hamas has also reportedly eased its demands regarding two of the major sticking points from the summer's negotiations, namely the number of Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences to be released as part of the deal (reduced from from 200 to 150), and the size of an Israeli buffer zone along the Gaza border (increased from 800 meters to one kilometer).

But the Israeli government has said it is no longer interested in a partial or phased deal, only a comprehensive agreement that would see all the hostages freed. While Netanyahu has not formally ruled out the current offer, various members of his governing coalition have already rejected it.

Israel and Hamas remain far apart regarding what“ending the war” actually means. Hamas has long maintained that an end to the war means the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza and a guarantee that any truce will be permanent.

Meanwhile, Israel's security cabinet has approved a five-point plan for ending the war that, along with the return of the hostages, includes disarming Hamas, demilitarizing Gaza and taking security control of the Strip, as well as establishing“an alternative civil administration that is neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority.”

Aside from the hostage release, all of these points present major challenges, especially disarming Hamas and“security control.” Given Hamas's depleted state, some argue that Hamas might be willing to decommission weapons as part of a negotiated disarmament, demobilization and reintegration process, similar to the IRA in Northern Ireland or the FARC in Colombia. But this would require disarmament happening in the context of a broader long-term political agreement.

This was part of the logic behind a July declaration endorsed by all Arab League states, calling on Hamas to disarm to open up a pathway for a Palestinian state. But, given that the Netanyahu government has rejected any negotiations towards a two-state solution, Hamas's leadership in Gaza is not likely to disarm if it is seen purely as surrendering.

Israel's intention to maintain“security control” in Gaza arguably represents an even greater impasse to reaching a ceasefire . This is not a new position. Netanyahu articulated a plan for security control in February 2024 and has spoken openly of reoccupying Gaza since May 2025.

The government has also discussed plans to annex parts of Gaza, and continues to explore options for “resettling” Gazans to third countries – a move that would amount to forcible transfer under international law. And as the military moves forward this week with plans to retake Gaza City, all signs are pointing to a long-term or permanent Israeli presence inside Gaza.

Israeli opposition, Hamas division

These moves are happening on the backdrop of growing public wariness in Israel, where polls show more than 70% of Israelis supporting a negotiated end to the war to free the hostages.

Furthermore, many view the plans to retake Gaza City as both endangering the remaining hostages in the short term and creating new security problems for Israel in the long term, as well as keeping thousands of reservists deployed.

In addition to this past week's protests, a group of more than 600 Israeli security and intelligence officials wrote a letter earlier this month stating that Hamas no longer poses a strategic threat to Israel, and calling for an end to the war.