With Gaza ceasefire talks stalling, chances of parties entering the second phase of the agreement appear slim [Getty]
Palestinians are expressing growing alarm as Gaza ceasefire negotiations stall, heightening fears of a broader Israeli military escalation and potential new displacement.
The deadlock appears to centre on unresolved disputes over the second phase of the ceasefire agreement that came into effect on 10 October 2025, particularly the disarmament of Palestinian factions and questions over post-war governance and the security framework.
The impasse comes as Israel continues to expand its military control across large parts of the besieged enclave, despite Cairo intensifying diplomatic efforts to prevent negotiations from collapsing altogether.
This month, the Egyptian delegation is hosting a series of meetings involving Palestinian representatives, alongside regional and international mediators, as part of a wider push to revive the talks that have so far failed to move the ceasefire plan to its second phase.
The second stage of US President Donald Trump’s 20-point peace deal was meant to pave the way for a full withdrawal of Israeli troops, a sharp increase in humanitarian aid, and a permanent end to the war – none of which has materialised more than eight months after the deal was signed.
Palestinian officials involved in the process say disagreements have widened rather than narrowed, with both sides still divided over several key issues.
Taher al-Nunu, media adviser to the head of Hamas’s political bureau, accused Israel of effectively returning negotiations to “square one” by introducing new conditions into the ongoing discussions.
According to al-Nunu, Israeli negotiators have continued to focus on issues relating to Palestinian factions’ weapons, tunnels and military infrastructure, which Hamas argues fall outside the understandings reached during earlier stages of mediation.
Speaking separately to The New Arab, Palestinian sources familiar with the negotiations said that recent Israeli proposals expanded the list of military assets subject to inventory and storage arrangements.
“The proposals included tunnels, weapons depots, individual firearms, military facilities and four-wheel-drive vehicles,” the sources added.
As a result, Palestinian factions rejected the amendments, arguing they viewing them as a significant departure from previous understandings.
Egypt seeks to rescue negotiations
As the gap between the parties widens, Egypt has intensified efforts to preserve the negotiating process and avert a complete breakdown.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty met this week with the US-backed Board of Peace’s High Representative for Gaza, Nikolay Mladenov, to discuss arrangements for Gaza’s future and the transition to the ceasefire’s second phase.
According to the Egyptian media reports, Abdelatty stressed the need to fulfil commitments linked to the first phase of the agreement.
These include enabling the proposed National Committee for the Administration of Gaza to begin work inside the territory, deploying an international stabilisation force, and ensuring unrestricted access for humanitarian, medical and relief assistance.
Egyptian officials argue that implementing these measures would help consolidate the ceasefire, improve living conditions and lay the groundwork for reconstruction and recovery, the outlets said.
Mladenov, for his part, praised Egypt’s role in narrowing differences between the parties and supporting efforts to improve the humanitarian situation and enhance prospects for stability.
Palestinian political observers said that Cairo is attempting to preserve the gains achieved during the first phase while gradually building consensus on more sensitive post-war issues, including governance, reconstruction and security arrangements.
However, major obstacles remain. The future of Palestinian factions’ weapons continues to be one of the most contentious issues, alongside disputes over the powers and composition of any governing body that would oversee Gaza during a transitional period.
These political disputes are unfolding at a time when conditions on the ground are becoming increasingly alarming for many Palestinians, with more than 1,030 people killed and 3,300 others injured in Gaza since the ceasefire came into effect.
Expanding Israeli control deepens fears
The Israeli army is now estimated to control roughly 70 per cent of the Gaza Strip after expanding its military deployment as part of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s directive to increase its control from 60 per cent of the besieged territory as an attempt to intensify pressure on Hamas.
Netanyahu has repeatedly stated that Israel intends to maintain control over Gaza for what he claims to be security purposes for the foreseeable future while continuing military operations against Palestinian armed groups.
For many Palestinians, such statements suggest that Israel is seeking to establish long-term realities on the ground that could prove difficult to reverse – even if a political agreement is eventually reached.
Concerns intensified particularly after Israeli daily Haaretz reported on an urgent meeting convened earlier this week by National Security Council chief Shmuel Ben Ezra to examine what it described as ways to “encourage voluntary emigration” of Palestinians from Gaza.
The meeting reportedly brought together representatives from the Israeli military, the Defence Ministry and Israel’s foreign and domestic intelligence services, Mossad and Shin Bet. Although no concrete decisions were taken, the report has fuelled widespread Palestinian concern by reviving proposals that Arab governments and Palestinian factions have repeatedly rejected.
Hamas described the reported discussions as a dangerous development that contradicts any genuine talk of peace or stability.
The movement’s spokesperson, Hazem Qassem, said in a press statement that Israeli meetings about the future of Gaza’s population reflect policies that undermine understandings reached through mediation efforts.
Qassem added that continued bombardment, destruction of infrastructure and restrictions imposed on the territory cannot be separated from broader proposals that many Palestinians fear are intended to create conditions encouraging displacement.
He called on the United States to clarify its position and urged Arab countries to take coordinated action against any plans aimed at removing Palestinians from Gaza.
Gazans fear another phase of war
Inside the devastated territory, uncertainty over the talks is fuelling anxiety among residents already exhausted by years of conflict, displacement and economic collapse.
At a displacement centre in Gaza City, 61‑year‑old Mahmoud Abu Khaled, uprooted from his home in Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza, said reports of stalled negotiations and expanding Israeli control have revived fears among thousands of families.
“We have been waiting for months for this war to end and for us to return home,” he told The New Arab. “Every time we hear about new disagreements or more Israeli expansion, we feel that our suffering will continue.”
“Any future agreement that does not include a clear Israeli withdrawal from areas seized during the war would fail to achieve genuine stability,” he said.
“People are not only waiting for a ceasefire,” he added. “They want to return to their homes and land. The more Israeli control expands, the greater the fear that this reality becomes permanent.”
Gaza-based political analyst Mustafa Ibrahim told The New Arab that public concern reflects past experiences in which negotiations seemed to be moving forward only to run into new obstacles.
“Residents see the negotiations as the main path for reducing the humanitarian and economic impact of the war,” he said. “Any indication that the talks are faltering directly affects public sentiment.”
While mediation efforts continue, particularly those led by Egypt, he said a breakthrough will require compromises on the most sensitive issues, including weapons, governance arrangements and the extent of Israeli withdrawal.
Palestinians in Gaza hope diplomacy can end the war, but fear that failed talks could bring renewed escalation, entrench Israel’s control and increase the risk of further displacement, with profound implications for Gaza’s future and the wider Palestinian cause.
