Doha is hosting a new round of talks to consolidate the truce in the Gaza Strip, amid disagreements over the terms of a possible second phase, and talks about the imminent participation of US President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff in efforts to resolve the conflict.

This expected American presence, after direct talks between Washington and Hamas, and Israel sending a delegation to Doha on Monday, are steps that experts who spoke to Asharq Al-Awsat see as a push towards a new breakthrough that will enhance the chances of the faltering truce agreement remaining in place. They expect that the closest thing will be an extension for about two months beyond Ramadan and the holidays, followed by understandings regarding the start of the postponed second phase.

A team of Israeli negotiators left for Doha on Monday to hold a new round of talks on the continuation of the fragile ceasefire agreement in Gaza, according to Israeli media.

Witkov is expected to travel to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday and then to the Qatari capital on Wednesday, where the talks are taking place, The Times of Israel reported on Monday, citing a source, without clarifying whether he will visit Israel or not.

According to the same source, the "Wittkoff Plan" supported by Israel is on the table for discussion in the talks. It includes Hamas releasing ten live hostages, including Israeli-American Idan Alexander, in exchange for another 60 days of ceasefire.

The Trump administration is seeking to extend the ceasefire beyond Ramadan and Easter, possibly leading to a long-term truce that could end the war, Axios reported Sunday.

With the end of the first phase of the deal, early this March, with the release of 33 hostages, including 8 dead, and 1,800 Palestinian prisoners, Hamas refused, according to a statement issued by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, to accept the “Witkoff Framework,” while Israel agreed to it, according to the statement, which prompted the latter to prevent the entry of aid into the Strip.

Netanyahu's Obstacles

Ambassador Rakha Ahmed Hassan, a member of the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs, is betting that Witkov’s visit to the region will provide a real opportunity for the agreement to hold and for Netanyahu’s obstacles to be overcome, noting that the escalating American position, in which Trump seeks to prevent a war and for Arab countries to continue normalizing relations with Israel, will make the agreement largely steadfast, even given the current data.

Palestinian political analyst Dr. Abdul Mahdi Mutawa believes that Witkov's upcoming visit to Doha means that a serious breakthrough has occurred, and thus Trump's envoy has returned to the region after several postponements, especially since the mediators succeeded in convincing Hamas to accept the Community Support Committee as the movement announced in a statement on Sunday, expecting the agreement to hold and move towards extending the first phase and then starting a second phase.

Amidst this anticipation, Hamas said in a statement on Monday that “the occupation continues to overturn the agreement and refuses to begin the second phase, which reveals its intentions to evade and procrastinate,” expressing its readiness “to immediately begin negotiations for the second phase,” shortly after issuing a statement confirming that it “dealt flexibly with the efforts of the mediators and Trump’s envoy, and we await the results of the expected negotiations and the occupation’s obligation to the agreement and move to the second phase.”

The movement's leader, Taher Al-Nunu, revealed in statements on Sunday that several meetings were held between the movement's leaders and the US envoy for hostage affairs, Adam Boehler, noting that the two sides also discussed how to implement the interim agreement that aims to end the war.

For his part, the US envoy described the meeting in an interview with CNN as “very useful,” expressing his confidence that an agreement could be reached to release the hostages in Gaza “within weeks.”

Various pressures

The Jerusalem Post published the results of a recent poll conducted by the Israel Democracy Institute, which says that nearly three-quarters of Israelis support Netanyahu’s resignation either now or after the war so that he can take responsibility for his role on October 7, 2023. Regarding the second phase of the ceasefire and hostage agreement, about 73 percent support the continuation of the agreement to secure the release of all hostages, even at its high cost, which includes a complete cessation of hostilities, withdrawal from Gaza, and the release of Palestinian prisoners.

According to Rakha, there is a relative change in the American position, especially after Boehler’s positive statements after the meetings with Hamas, which reinforces the assessment that Washington prevented Netanyahu from going to war. He explained that the movement is betting on the start of the second phase, considering it the core of the solution, as it includes important Israeli withdrawals, without which the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip will not take place.

It is believed that Arab, European and internal pressures in Israel, in addition to American moves, will push towards continuing the implementation of the agreement, even if in a temporary manner. It is not unlikely that Netanyahu will be sacrificed from his position, especially since Washington’s move with Hamas means that the Trump administration is showing discomfort with the Israeli Prime Minister and has resorted to direct negotiations.