Israel has submitted a hostage deal proposal that veers away from the principles Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly insisted are required for Jerusalem to end the war in Gaza, three sources familiar with the matter told The Times of Israel.

Netanyahu’s principles — adopted by the cabinet on August 8 — are (1) the disarmament of Hamas; (2) the release of all remaining hostages at the same time (3) the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip; (4) Israeli security control over the Strip; and (5) the establishment of an alternative civilian government that is neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority.

While the one-page offer Israel presented to a visiting Egyptian negotiating team late last month includes elements that are in line with those principles, there are some notable differences, according to an Israeli official, an Arab diplomat and a third source briefed on the offer.

The proposal, which has not been previously published, envisions Israel first declaring the start of a six-month process to “end the war” — something Netanyahu has until now refused to do until after his conditions are met.

The source familiar with the matter said the Israeli proposal was submitted after the US privately leaned on Netanyahu to wind down the war. US President Donald Trump claimed on August 25 that the conflict would reach a “conclusive ending” in two to three weeks. His envoy, Steve Witkoff, has offered a more modest timeline of the war ending by the close of 2025.

Witkoff has put together his own proposal in recent days that is far less detailed than the Israeli offer, envisioning that Hamas release all of the hostages up front in exchange for the release of thousands of Palestinians from Israeli jails, along with US assurances that it will prevent Israel from resuming the war, a source familiar with the matter told The Times of Israel.

The Israeli official said Jerusalem prefers the Witkoff........

© The Times of Israel