Watan-Steve Witkoff, the U.S. President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, expressed optimism on Sunday regarding ongoing ceasefire negotiations in Gaza.
Speaking to journalists in Teterboro, New Jersey, Witkoff said he plans to meet with senior Qatari officials on the sidelines of the FIFA Club World Cup final, as efforts continue to broker a truce and prisoner exchange between Israel and Hamas.
Netanyahu Rejects Public Support for Deal with Hamas
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fiercely criticized recent opinion polls that show a majority of Israelis support a prisoner exchange deal with Hamas.
According to Israel’s Channel 13, Netanyahu said:“These polls don’t ask if people want Hamas to remain in Gaza. They are misleading public opinion.”
He added that Israeli media is blaming him for obstructing a potential deal and “echoing Hamas propaganda,” as he put it.
According to Haaretz, Netanyahu accused news outlets and pollsters of pushing a narrative aligned with Hamas.
“The studios always repeat Hamas propaganda,” he said. “They’re always wrong.”
Netanyahu claimed Israel had agreed to a proposal by U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, but that Hamas rejected it, allegedly because the group seeks to maintain its presence in Gaza.
Hamas and the Israeli Opposition Respond
Hamas, for its part, has repeatedly expressed readiness to release all Israeli captives in a single exchange — on condition that Israel ends its war on Gaza, withdraws all forces, and frees Palestinian prisoners.
However, Netanyahu — who faces international legal challenges and is widely viewed as prolonging the war for political survival — has insisted on partial deals that allow the war to continue and satisfy the far-right factions in his ruling coalition, according to the Israeli opposition.
As reported by Haaretz, Netanyahu’s remarks came in response to a Channel 12 poll that showed 74% of Israelis support ending the Gaza war in exchange for the immediate return of all hostages.
Current Hostage and Prisoner Situation
Israeli authorities estimate that 50 Israeli hostages remain in Gaza, with around 20 believed to be alive.
Conversely, Israel holds more than 10,800 Palestinian detainees, many of whom suffer from torture, starvation, and medical neglect, which has led to several deaths, according to both Palestinian and Israeli human rights reports.
Background of the Negotiations
Over the past 20 months, indirect negotiations between Hamas and Israel have taken place with Qatari and Egyptian mediation, and support from the United States.
Two partial ceasefire and prisoner swap agreements were reached:
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November 2023
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January 2025
However, Netanyahu abandoned the most recent deal and resumed the Gaza assault on March 18, 2025.
Ongoing Genocide in Gaza
Since October 7, 2023, Israel — with U.S. backing — has waged what human rights observers describe as a genocidal war on Gaza. This includes mass killings, starvation tactics, widespread destruction, and forced displacement, in defiance of all international appeals and orders from the International Court of Justice to cease hostilities.
So far, the war has resulted in:
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Over 196,000 Palestinian casualties (dead and wounded),
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More than 10,000 missing,
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Hundreds of thousands displaced, and
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Famine-related deaths, including dozens of children.
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