The Hebrew-language newspaper Maariv reported, citing a political source, that “negotiations are on the verge of collapse, and from Israel’s perspective, there is currently no partial agreement on the table.”
The source added, “Due to Hamas’ rejection, the possibility of including hostages in any deal is now virtually nonexistent. Israel is preparing to intensify its campaign to defeat Hamas.”
This comes after Israel described Prime Minister Netanyahu’s meeting with U.S. envoy Steve Wietckoff as “strategically significant,” noting that the meeting lasted nearly four hours, beginning with a private one-on-one and followed by an expanded session involving both delegations.
According to the same political source, the United States continues to express full support for the Israeli position, even as Western nations increasingly call for an immediate end to the war on Gaza.
The report added that the political echelon in Israel expects “important decisions to be made in the coming days, given the extremely low likelihood of progress in the prisoner exchange negotiations.”
The source also confirmed that there is now a “complete breakdown” in communication between Israel and Hamas, and that “the movement is not willing to return to the negotiation table.”
He stated: “Israel’s options for continuing the operation are narrowing. We are approaching a point where we must fulfil the two primary objectives of this war: the defeat of Hamas and the release of the hostages—if not through a deal, then by other means.”
The newspaper clarified that these developments followed earlier statements from Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi and his predecessor Eyal Zamir, who had both anticipated a potential partial deal for the release of Israeli captives in Gaza within the coming days.
Escalation Appears Inevitable
Separately, Channel 12 quoted a senior Israeli official who said that Hamas had severed all communications, and that expanding the military operation in Gaza is now seen as inevitable.
“Hamas has cut off talks. There are no real negotiations,” the source explained, adding that there’s growing sentiment that discussions are on the verge of collapse, and further military escalation appears unavoidable.
He also confirmed that Prime Minister Netanyahu had met with President Trump’s special envoy, Steve Wietckoff, for nearly three hours last Thursday. The meeting included a private session and a broader discussion attended by Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, and other senior officials.
According to the official, Israel and the U.S. administration are closely coordinating on next steps regarding the offensive against Hamas and the fate of negotiations, though pessimism continues to dominate Israeli decision-making circles.
