On Monday evening, the Hebrew newspaper Maariv confirmed that Israeli estimates indicate the resumption of fighting and the continuation of the war on the Gaza Strip in the coming days. The report also highlighted that a message from the United States had reached Tel Aviv regarding Hamas.
The newspaper stated that “Israeli political leaders estimate that the war could resume within 10 days, if there are no agreements with Hamas.” It added that “these estimates stem from discussions heard during consultations and the American message concerning Hamas.”
According to the report, the United States sent a message that said: “Kill them all, to the last one; Hamas is an obstacle to normalization.” It also noted that U.S. special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Wittekov, will not be arriving in Israel in the coming days, as reported by senior Israeli officials.
The report mentioned that Wittekov had conducted interviews with several U.S. media outlets last week, stating that “he intends to visit the Middle East, including Israel.” However, later, U.S. administration officials clarified that “Wittekov’s visit was postponed due to technical reasons related to schedules and the need to address issues related to the Russia-Ukraine war.”
White House officials emphasized that the postponement of Wittekov’s visit was unrelated to the stalled negotiations regarding the continuation of the ceasefire and the prisoner exchange deal.
Maariv quoted Israeli officials familiar with the negotiations, stating that Wittekov will not come to the region unless there is progress in the talks, and that he will only come to finalize the deal.
The same sources indicated that “there has been no progress at the moment, and Hamas remains firm in its position.”
According to Maariv, Israeli officials have refused to set a deadline for the efforts being made by intermediaries to persuade Hamas to continue with the deal, while Tel Aviv has expressed its willingness to give these efforts several days, without specifying an exact date.
The report also confirmed that after talks in Cairo last weekend and Hamas rejecting Wittekov’s proposal, the mediators requested a few more days to apply pressure on the movement and push for flexibility.
The newspaper also touched on comments by Smotrich, who confirmed that the next step in Gaza would be: “A strong and deadly attack.” He viewed the suspension of humanitarian aid to Gaza as a first step in the right direction, a move made possible by the policy led by the government and the security cabinet.
Smotrich emphasized that “this is just the beginning,” explaining that “the next phase will involve cutting electricity and water, opening the gates of hell on Gaza with a strong, deadly, and swift attack, which will lead to the occupation of the area and the start of implementing Trump’s plan to encourage the migration of Gaza’s population.”
