Indirect talks on a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip are stalling.

According to a media report, Israel is prepared to accept a more extensive troop withdrawal than previously offered in the tough mediation talks on a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. Israel has submitted a new proposal to this effect, the Times of Israel reported, citing an Arab diplomat. However, it is doubtful that this concession will bring about a breakthrough in the indirect negotiations in the Qatari capital, Doha. Israel's insistence on keeping its army in the south of the coastal region is reportedly linked to controversial government plans to build a massive camp there for hundreds of thousands of Palestinians.

Critics speak of an internment camp that could ultimately lead to forced deportation. Israel speaks of a "humanitarian city" as a starting point for a "voluntary departure" of Gaza residents. The New York Times quoted Husam Badran, a senior member of the Islamist Hamas group, as calling the establishment of such a camp a "deliberately obstructive demand" that would further complicate the already difficult negotiations for a ceasefire in the Gaza war.

According to the Times of Israel, Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid called the plan of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government "crazy—even by this government's standards." The plan, recently unveiled by Defense Minister Israel Katz, calls for the construction of a zone on the ruins of the city of Rafah, initially housing 600,000 people. According to the Times of Israel, all of Gaza's more than two million residents will eventually be housed there. Once admitted, those who are not allowed to leave the "humanitarian city" will not be allowed to leave.

"Will there be a fence? A regular fence? An electric fence? How many soldiers will guard it?" the newspaper quoted Lapid as saying. "What will the soldiers do if children want to leave the city? Who will feed them? Who will be responsible for water and electricity? What will happen if epidemics and diseases occur? Who will treat them?" According to Israeli media reports, the plan has also been strongly criticized by the army. However, even among those involved in the planning, there are doubts as to whether the camp will ever be built.

There is speculation in Israel that the plan could be a negotiating tactic to pressure Hamas into making concessions or to persuade Prime Minister Netanyahu's far-right coalition partners to agree to a ceasefire. The far-right Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir shares this view, the New York Times reported. Ben-Gvir firmly rejects a permanent ceasefire in Gaza. Netanyahu, who is facing corruption charges, relies on hardliners in his coalition like Ben-Gvir for his political survival.

Israel's indirect negotiations with Hamas in Doha have recently stalled. A key reason is a disagreement over the extent of the Israeli troop withdrawal, especially from the south of the Gaza Strip. Israel had previously insisted that its armed forces remain in a relatively large area. This would include a three-kilometer-wide buffer zone along the border with Egypt near Rafah, as well as the so-called Morag Corridor, which separates Rafah from the city of Khan Yunis.

Hamas is demanding the withdrawal of Israeli forces to the positions it occupied before the collapse of the previous ceasefire in March. Israel's new proposal, reported by the Times of Israel citing an Arab diplomat, stipulates that the Israeli military would only claim a two-kilometer-wide buffer zone along the southern border near Rafah.

The Gaza War was triggered by the unprecedented attack by Hamas and other Islamist terrorist organizations on Israel on October 7, 2023, in which approximately 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 were taken hostage to Gaza. Since then, more than 58,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, according to the Hamas-controlled health authority. This barely verifiable figure does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres described the number of Palestinians killed as unprecedented in recent history. "This undermines the most basic human dignity of the people of Gaza, regardless of the enormous suffering they endure," Guterres said in New York. He emphasized that he had also repeatedly condemned the "horrific attacks" by Hamas on October 7.

Meanwhile, the UN chief remains committed to a two-state solution. Referring to a conference planned at the end of the month at the UN in New York, he said: A solution can only be achieved if both Palestinians and Israelis have a state in which they can exercise their rights. The conference is scheduled to take place at the ministerial level from July 28 to 30 and is being organized by France and Saudi Arabia. However, a breakthrough is not expected.