Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is insisting on continuing the war in the Gaza Strip even after a deal, while Hamas is demanding a complete withdrawal from the Strip in any deal, making negotiations over a potential deal complicated before US President Donald Trump arrives in the White House on January 20.

Hamas leader Osama Hamdan said that the experience of negotiating with Israel “proved that the only solution to restore the rights of the Palestinian people is to engage with the Israeli enemy and force it to retreat.”

Hamdan said in a press conference in Algeria on Tuesday that the occupation was working to disrupt the negotiations at every moment, stressing that the movement's position in the negotiations is clear, and that it is represented by a ceasefire and the withdrawal of the occupation. He added: "Our clear position in the negotiations is a ceasefire, the withdrawal of the occupation, the exchange of prisoners, and the reconstruction of Gaza, without Israeli conditions."

Hamdan said Trump was hasty in saying there would be a “heavy price” if the hostages were not released by his inauguration. “He should be more disciplined and diplomatic and work to stop the war instead of threatening,” he said.

Hamdan's comments came as Israel stressed that it would not end the war until Hamas was eliminated and all the hostages were released. Israeli Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology Gila Gamaliel, of the ruling right-wing Likud party, said that there would be no Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip before all the kidnapped soldiers were returned.

Hamas and Israeli officials are holding talks mediated by Egypt and Qatar amid months of intense efforts to reach a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. The administration of outgoing US President Joe Biden has called for an effort to reach a deal before he leaves office, and many in the region now view Trump’s inauguration as an unofficial deadline.

But as the deadline approaches, both sides are accusing each other of sticking to conditions that have stymied all previous attempts to reach an agreement over more than a year. On Monday, Israel postponed the trip of Mossad chief David Barnea to Qatar, awaiting answers from Hamas about the fate of the kidnapped soldiers on the list of 34 names that Israel had previously presented to Hamas and which the movement finally agreed to release.

The current disagreements raise concerns that reaching an agreement will be complicated before Trump arrives in the White House, especially with Netanyahu insisting that he will return to war.

Netanyahu refuses to stop the war in the Gaza Strip, and does not have a plan for the day after there. There is controversy in Israel about this. Senior officials in the Israeli security establishment have demanded finding an alternative to Hamas rule even before reaching a deal; because without it, Israel will lose “the gains of the war, and we will not achieve one of the main goals of the war: the collapse of Hamas.”

This view is consistent with the position of senior officials in the Israeli army and the General Security Service (Shin Bet), who believe that despite the near-total destruction of Hamas’s military capabilities, its ability to manage the Strip remains. However, a political source confirmed that Netanyahu will return to war after any deal, and that he does not accept dealing with a fait accompli that keeps Hamas in Gaza, and therefore believes that “the plans for the ‘day after’ in Gaza cannot be implemented until the movement is completely destroyed.” The source went on to stress that “the policy led by the prime minister in Gaza is that in any case, neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority can control Gaza or the distribution of humanitarian aid. Therefore, various alternatives are being examined in this context.”

Netanyahu's insistence on returning to fighting after the deal is one of the obstacles to reaching an agreement, along with the issue of the 34 names, the withdrawal, and the fate of Palestinian prisoners.

In a remarkable development, Natan Eshel, one of Netanyahu's aides, called for an immediate cessation of fighting in Gaza, saying that the continuation of the fighting was "unnecessary" and "brings no hostages or military achievements," and that it "results in heavy losses in the lives of soldiers and wounded."

In private correspondence, excerpts of which were published in Israeli newspapers, Eshel presented an alternative strategy based on a blockade and the monitoring of humanitarian aid, in addition to providing the option of exit for residents who wished to do so. Eshel said: “Whoever does not want to live and does not leave in an organized and disciplined manner will either die by an Israeli soldier’s bullet or die of hunger... This method has proven its effectiveness throughout history.”

Referring to US policy, Eshel claimed that the Biden administration was not interested in reaching a full agreement on Gaza, but in preserving its ability to manipulate Israel. He suggested waiting another two weeks until the Trump administration enters the White House, and then implementing the proposed strategy. According to him, such a move would be “good for Israel and good for the citizens of Gaza who are not participating and who have lives.” Netanyahu and his office did not immediately respond to Eshel’s call.

Meanwhile, the Israeli army continues its operations in the Gaza Strip on almost all fronts, stressing that it will continue until “the elimination of Hamas.” However, a senior Israeli official warned (Tuesday) in an interview with the Ynet website that “Hamas is frustrated by the situation and is looking for achievements elsewhere.” The official said that “Hamas is pushing to carry out attacks against targets outside the country’s borders.” According to him, there is growing concern in Israel about attempts by Hamas and Islamic Jihad to carry out attacks against Israeli and Jewish targets abroad.

The website said that during the long war in the Gaza Strip, many attacks against Israeli targets around the world were thwarted. It added: “Iranian-inspired organizations seek to harm individuals, embassies and other Jewish targets.”