Can diplomacy bring the Israel Gaza war to an end?

A day later, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu echoed the sentiment, stating, “Steve Witkoff got it right. Hamas is the obstacle to a hostage release deal. Together with our US allies, we are now considering alternative options to bring our hostages home, end Hamas’s terror rule and secure lasting peace for Israel and our region.”

On Friday, US President Donald Trump voiced further frustration over the stalemate in US-brokered talks for a deal between Israel and Hamas, blaming the impasse on the Palestinian terror group.

“It was too bad – Hamas didn’t really want to make a deal,” Trump said. “I think they want to die. And it’s very, very bad. It got to a point where you’re going to have to finish the job."

On Sunday Trump added that he did not know what would happen after Hamas torpedoed the negotiations. “I know what I’d do, but I don’t think it’s appropriate that I say, but Israel is going to have to make a decision,” the president said.

According to Avivi, Israel may be forced to pursue military alternatives that would see IDF troops enter areas of Gaza where hostages are believed to be held, surround specific houses and tunnels, and even negotiate directly with the kidnappers – similar to past hostage situations in the country’s history.

The London-based Arabic daily Asharq Al-Awsat reported on Saturday that Hamas is implementing precautionary measures to block potential rescue operations by Israeli special forces. One such measure includes reinstating a policy to kill captives if kidnappers suspect Israeli troops are nearby.

Avivi added that Israel could also expand its operations to target Hamas terrorists outside the Strip. “Part of the mission is to eradicate Hamas as a governmental entity, which means destroying its leadership outside Gaza,” he said.

Brigadier General (Res) Hannan Gefen, former commander of IDF Unit 8200, told the JC that another potential path could be sidelining Hamas’s leadership in Doha from managing the negotiations, noting that “they are more extremist than those in Gaza in a way.”

Jerusalem, he said, has realised that negotiations have become bogged down in important but secondary issues – such as Israeli withdrawal from parts of Gaza, humanitarian aid, and the number of Palestinian prisoners to be released – while avoiding the core issue: the future of Hamas.

“The main actors eventually understood that the process would result in months of fruitless discussions, which led the US and Israel to announce they were looking into alternatives,” he said.

Gefen said Israel and the United States could push for a single-phase agreement rather than a two-stage process, which he argued plays to Hamas’s advantage by allowing the terror group to hold on to hostages and avoid committing to disarmament.

A third option, he said, would involve targeted ground operations in Khan Yunis aimed at locating and rescuing the hostages. So far, Israeli troops have recovered eight hostages alive, while the bodies of 49 others have been redeemed.

Alternatively, Washington and Jerusalem could explore the possibility of circumventing Hamas by identifying local partners to administer the Gazan population.

In a parallel development, the Israeli Maariv newspaper reported on Tuesday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has proposed beginning the annexation of parts of Gaza if Hamas continues to reject efforts to broker a ceasefire. The report stated that Netanyahu was considering the creation of a special body to govern the areas incorporated into Israel.

Meanwhile, the US Treasury Department announced last month sanctions against five individuals and five charities accused of supporting Hamas’s terror activities under the guise of humanitarian work both inside and outside Gaza.

For now, Gefen said, the pressure is likely to fall on the Qataris.

“Right now, the Qataris and Egyptians are leading the negotiations. The Americans have stepped back, and Doha will have to shoulder the burden of telling Hamas the hard truth. We’ll see how much influence they actually have,” he said.

Major General (res) Gershon Hacohen, who served in the IDF for 42 years and commanded troops in battle on the Egyptian and Syrian fronts, told the JC that Hamas is exploiting internal Israeli divisions.

“Hamas is listening to what’s happening in the streets of Israel – the demonstrations calling for the release of all the hostages, even if it means accepting Hamas’s continued existence as both a military force and governing regime,” he said.

“Hamas is drawing hope from this,” he added. “They believe that if they hold firm, refuse to compromise, and stick to their demands, Israel – because of that perceived weakness – will eventually give in.”

The only viable solution, Hacohen concluded, is to escalate the military campaign and bring Hamas to a decisive and fatal end.