US urges Hamas to defer Gaza withdrawal talks

Shafaq News - Washington

The United States has asked Hamas to delay talks over the scope of Israel’s military withdrawal from Gaza and instead prioritize other unresolved matters, in an effort to prevent the ongoing hostage negotiations from breaking down, Axios reported on Friday.

Citing sources familiar with the talks, the report highlighted ongoing disputes between Hamas and Israel, with the latter offering only limited flexibility on its proposed pullback from southern Gaza. Hamas believes the maps under discussion would leave Israeli forces in control of significant areas of the enclave.

An Israeli official indicated no progress has been made in the past 24 hours. However, both the Israeli delegation and US envoy Brett McGurk remain in Doha, continuing efforts to bridge differences.

According to the report, Hamas has also agreed to expand the buffer zone along the Israeli border from 700 meters to 1 kilometer. Israel, in contrast, is pushing for a deeper zone—between 2 and 3 kilometers in Rafah, and 1 to 2 kilometers along other parts of the border.

Despite the differences, Washington hopes to preserve a constructive atmosphere, encouraging negotiators to focus on areas where progress is still possible, including the prisoner release list and coordination of humanitarian aid.