Netanyahu urged Trump to reject Qatari ceasefire proposals for Gaza

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly urged former US President Donald Trump to dismiss Qatari proposals for a Gaza ceasefire deal last week, Israeli media reported.

During a phone call last Tuesday, Netanyahu told Trump to ignore any initiatives put forward by Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, according to a report by Israel’s Channel 12.

Al-Thani, who also serves as Qatar's foreign minister, met with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington last week to discuss efforts to broker a new ceasefire in Gaza. The previous truce collapsed on 18 March after two months, when Israel resumed its military assault on the territory.

Netanyahu allegedly warned Trump that Al-Thani would approach him "with various and strange proposals" from Hamas, adding that the US president "must not accept them".

"Hamas is pretending and does not intend to truly stand behind any proposal that includes the return of all the hostages," Netanyahu said, according to Channel 12, quoting him in Hebrew.

The Israeli premier, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged war crimes in Gaza, also reportedly told Trump: "We must destroy Hamas. We cannot accept a situation where it remains near our border as a threatening force. This will not happen. This is an invitation for the next October 7. It is unacceptable even to the Israeli public."

On Sunday, the Qatari prime minister said efforts to reach a new ceasefire had made some progress but a final agreement between Israel and Hamas remains elusive.

An Israeli official told The Jerusalem Post there was currently "no chance" of reaching a deal between the warring sides, following Mossad Director David Barnea’s recent visit to Qatar.

Israel has categorically rejected any post-war scenario in which Hamas remains in power in Gaza, while Hamas has refused to disarm.

Over the weekend, Hamas said it was open to a five-year truce and the release of all remaining captives at once.

Israel claims 59 captives are still being held in Gaza and believes 24 of them are alive, including 22 Israelis, one Thai national, and one Nepali national.

The truce in January saw Hamas free dozens of Israeli and foreign captives taken during the 7 October 2023 attacks, in exchange for the release of thousands of Palestinian prisoners and detainees held by Israel.

While Hamas indicated it was ready to move to the second stage of the agreement, Israel insisted on extending the first phase. When no new deal was reached, Israeli airstrikes on Gaza resumed.

Since then, Israel has cut off all aid to the besieged enclave. Over 50 people, almost all children, have already died from famine and malnutrition, according to humanitarian organisations.

The war has killed more than 62,000 people in Gaza since October 2023, the vast majority of them civilians, with more than 14,000 others missing or presumed dead, according to Gaza's health ministry.