Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (C) stands for a photo op with Senate Majority Leader John Thune (3rd L), Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (R) and other senators prior to a meeting with lawmakers at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on July 9, 2025. (Credit: Alex Wroblewski/AFP)
Sources close to Gaza cease-fire negotiations have indicated that certain roadblocks in drafting the agreement have been overcome, Axios reports, citing specifically the distribution of humanitarian aid and guarantees from the U.S., and its president in particular, that it will not allow Israel to collapse a truce, as it did last March.
The final sticking point, Axios reported late Wednesday, is the lines to which Israeli forces would withdraw. Since resuming the war in March, Israel has gained military control of more than half of the besieged enclave.
However, a source familiar with Hamas' thinking told Reuters that these last four days of indirect talks with Israel in Qatar did not produce any breakthroughs on main sticking points.
Israeli troop withdrawal and the GHF
A source with knowledge of the Washington meetings, told Axios that U.S., Israeli, and Qatari officials have been discussing maps of Israel's redeployment. Hamas demands Israel's troops withdraw to the same lines as before the previous cease-fire, which Israel refuses to do.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is reportedly under significant pressure from his coalition — which was on shaky ground as he left for Washington, causing him to delay his departure — not to make any major concessions in cease-fire talks, while Trump made it clear ahead of Netanyahu's visit that he was intent on bringing his major ally into agreement on an end to the war.
Two other sources familiar with the Washington meetings said the three parties had agreed that in the areas from which Israel would withdraw during a truce, aid would be delivered by the U.N. or international organizations not affiliated with Israel and Hamas.
This would mean that the controversial U.S.-funded and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, whose distribution centers have become the sites of dozens of killings daily, might have to roll back its operations in Gaza.
The timeline
A senior Israeli official told Reuters on Wednesday that a truce could be possible within one or two weeks but such an agreement is not likely to be secured in just a day's time, as reports signal that negotiators are honing in on that final sticking point.
Trump had previously predicted that a deal could be reached this week, raising speculation about a possible announcement before Netanyahu leaves for Israel on Thursday.
On Wednesday, however, Trump appeared to extend the timeframe somewhat, telling reporters that while an agreement was "very close," it could happen this week or even next, though "not definitely."
The Israeli official said that if the two sides agree to a proposed 60-day cease-fire, Israel would use that time to offer a permanent cease-fire that would require the Palestinian militant group to disarm.
If Hamas refuses, "we'll proceed" with military operations in Gaza, the official said on condition of anonymity. The Israeli official, who briefed reporters in Washington, declined to provide details on the negotiations.
Trump's Middle East special envoy Steve Witkoff told reporters at a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday that the anticipated agreement would involve the release of 10 living and nine deceased hostages.
Netanyahu's visit came just over two weeks after the president ordered the bombing of Iranian nuclear sites in support of Israeli air strikes. Trump then helped arrange a cease-fire in the 12-day Israel-Iran war.
Trump and his aides have tried to seize on any momentum created by the weakening of Iran, which backs Hamas, to push both sides for a breakthrough to end the Gaza war.
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