Can a truce deal with Hamas stop Israel's assault on Gaza City?

The contradictions of Israel's war on Gaza were on full display this week as Hamas announced that it had accepted a ceasefire proposal brokered by Qatar and Egypt, even as Israel said it would mobilise 60,000 reservists in preparation for an assault on Gaza City.

The move highlights the gulf between diplomatic efforts to halt the war and Israel’s determination to expand its military campaign.

The New Arab looks at whether diplomacy can stop Israel's potential devastating assault on Gaza City.

What the truce offers

The proposal accepted by Hamas calls for a 60-day ceasefire, though the full details are as yet unknown. 

During this period, Hamas would release 10 Israeli hostages and the remains of 18 others, in exchange for 200 Palestinian prisoners, including 150 serving life sentences.

For every Israeli body returned, Israel would hand over 10 bodies of Palestinian fighters. Humanitarian aid would be allowed into Gaza under UN and Red Cross supervision, while Israeli forces would withdraw from some areas to create buffer zones. Crucially, the deal opens the door to negotiations over a permanent ceasefire.

Israel doubles down

Israel has not endorsed the truce, despite it being 'almost identical' to one they earlier agreed to.

Meanwhile, Defence Minister Israel Katz approved 'Gideon's Chariots 2', a plan for the occupation of Gaza City, which now awaits approval from the political-security cabinet.

Katz said: "When the operation is complete, Gaza's features will change and it will not look as it did before."

Israeli army reservists are being mobilised to replace regular forces freed up for operations in Gaza. The assault, which could take several weeks, may displace up to a million Palestinians southward. Critics argue that "humanitarian arrangements" touted by Israel are a veneer for mass forced displacement.

Domestically, political divisions are deepening.

Far-right ministers have warned against any deal with Hamas, even as hostage families demand one. According to the BBC, Israel is still reviewing Hamas’s response, but officials have voiced scepticism, with several ministers making clear they see little chance of agreement.

Israel is expected to give a formal reply to mediators by Friday, but the prevailing mood in government suggests the Gaza City assault remains the priority.

Critics have noted the inconsistencies in Israel's approach. When Hamas wanted a lasting ceasefire and hostage exchange deal, Israel said it couldn't commit to that. But now that Hamas has agreed to a temporary ceasefire and hostage exchange deal, Israel has rejected "partial deals" and is gearing up for the attack on Gaza City to "destroy Hamas". 

Gearing up for ethnic cleansing?

Netanyahu has made similar promises before.

In the earlier campaign known as 'Gideon’s Chariots', Israeli officials claimed they would secure a decisive victory over Hamas. Instead, the operation ended without achieving its main goals, particularly a prisoner exchange, even as Israel said it controlled three-quarters of Gaza’s territory.

The relaunch under the title 'Gideon’s Chariots 2' reflects debate within Israel’s security establishment over how to frame the war’s next phase. On 8 August, Netanyahu’s government approved a wider plan for the full reoccupation of Gaza, beginning with Gaza City and followed by the central refugee camps already devastated by bombardment.

Critics see this phased form of warfare as Israel possibly paving the way for the ethnic cleansing of the civilian population of Gaza. 

Trump: Israel must 'fight like hell' against Hamas

Mediators in Qatar and Egypt welcomed Hamas’s acceptance of the truce, calling it a chance to de-escalate and ease Gaza’s humanitarian catastrophe. Washington, however, has been more ambiguous.  The Trump administration has largely repeated familiar lines about Israel’s right to defend itself, without clearly endorsing or rejecting the ceasefire proposal.

However, recently, Trump was more direct in outright support for. Urging Israel to push ahead, he said the country was “going to have to fight like hell against Hamas.” He added: “When you look at it … ultimately you’re going to have to fight like hell … Everyone’s forgotten about Oct. 7. You know, they don’t like to think about Oct. 7.”

So can Gaza City be saved?

The contradiction between truce and assault leaves Gaza suspended between two possible futures.

If the ceasefire is taken forward, and the US senses an opportunity to pause a conflict that is causing much international consternation, it could halt the devastation, allow aid into the enclave, and create an opening for longer-term negotiations.

If Israel proceeds with its plans, as is most likely, Gaza City will face weeks of urban warfare, mass displacement, and further destruction on top of what has already been inflicted. The consequences could exacerbate Gaza's famine and plunge the Palestinian enclave into an even more desperate state.