Hamas Extends Ceasefire Demand to 12 Weeks in Cairo Talks

By Yoni Weiss

Hamas reportedly extended its ceasefire demand to 12 weeks in ongoing negotiations for a deal, as per a CNN report on Friday, quoting three sources familiar with the talks. Israel reportedly rejected this request, viewing it as tantamount to ending the war.

A Biden administration official noted Israel’s insistence on retaining the right to dismantle four remaining Hamas battalions in Rafah and emphasized the need for flexibility to continue the conflict. Israel argued that extending the initial six-week ceasefire, agreed upon for the first phase of the deal, would hinder its objectives, contrary to Hamas’s proposal for a “prolonged period of calm” in the next phase.

Hamas’s proposal, according to CNN, outlined a continuation of steps from the first phase into the next until achieving “sustainable calm.” Officials suggest this change in Hamas’s stance might stem from a lack of coordination between negotiators and Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in Gaza.