Israel shifts to defensive posture as Gaza truce talks advance

Report by Amal Shehadeh, English adaptation by Karine Keuchkerian

With unprecedented optimism, talk of a possible end to the Gaza war, on the eve of its third year, appears closer to reality than ever.

The Israeli military has received political instructions to shift from offensive to defensive operations and halt its plan to occupy Gaza.

The delegation negotiating a prisoner exchange held consultations before heading to Cairo to resume talks on the post-war phase, with expectations that the negotiations would be long and complicated.

At the same time, Washington informed Tel Aviv that it is working to bridge differences over disputed clauses in an effort to prevent delays in implementing the plan.

Army Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir convened a situation assessment after Hamas delivered its response to the plan. He issued orders to prepare for its first phase, under which all military operations in Gaza are to stop, including the displacement of Gaza City residents. 

The military said the northern Gaza Strip remains a war zone and warned residents not to return until an official announcement is made.

Meanwhile, Shin Bet, Mossad, and the military formed teams to prepare a list of Palestinian security prisoners to be included in the deal.

Washington, anticipating the possibility that Hamas could claim it does not know the location of Israeli hostages, dead or alive, informed Tel Aviv that it has mapped potential sites where they may be held to facilitate the search.

As the region awaits the arrival of U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and the start of “day after” negotiations, Israeli officials familiar with the plan’s implementation said the process of releasing captives will take at least a week, not 72 hours as originally stipulated.

Talks between Israel and Washington also revealed that the biggest potential stumbling block concerns the timing of the agreement’s launch, due to the difficulty of locating all captives within the timeframe set by the plan.

Israeli officials also did not rule out further obstacles, including conditions related to clearing Gaza of Hamas and its weapons.