TEHRAN- Israel’s failure to eliminate Hamas has prompted the regime to intensify efforts to finalize a ceasefire deal with the resistance movement amid the ongoing genocide in Gaza. 

An Israeli delegation arrived in Qatar on Monday evening to hold talks with mediators to pave the way for a ceasefire and the release of captives held in Gaza, that’s according to the Financial Times. 

In recent weeks, the United States, Qatar and Egypt have renewed their mediation efforts to wrap up a deal. 

Citing negotiators from the three countries, the Associated Press said Israel and Hamas are edging toward a truce agreement. 

Egyptian and Hamas officials have said the likely agreement would take place in phases.  

The first phase of the deal would last up to two months during which Hamas would release some 30 captives. Israel would also release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. 

In the initial phase, Israeli forces would pull back from certain Palestinian urban areas, enabling a significant number of Palestinians to return to their residences.

It is expected to lead to a massive increase in aid to Gaza, which is on the verge of famine. Israel has largely obstructed the delivery of essentials such as food to the Gaza Strip, in particular to the north of the Palestinian territory. 

Since Israel launched a ground incursion into Gaza’s southernmost city of Rafah in May, it has closed the enclave’s Rafah crossing with Egypt. The ceasefire agreement is set to pave the ground for a reopening of this crossing. 

The parties involved would then engage in negotiations for a permanent agreement. These talks would include the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces and the release of any remaining captives held in Gaza. 

Last week, Israeli war minister Israel Katz told his American counterpart Lloyd Austin that there was “a chance” for an agreement that would allow for the release of all captives. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his coalition have so far derailed talks aimed at concluding a ceasefire. 

Netanyahu ordered his army to launch war on Gaza after Hamas carried out the Al-Aqsa Storm Operation, a surprise attack in southern Israel on October 7, 2023. More than 1,100 people were killed and about 250 others were taken captive during the Hamas attack. 

Hamas freed more than 100 captives following a swap deal in November last year. Dozens of the captives still remain in Gaza. Several captives were released following Israel’s brutal raids in Gaza and the rest have lost their lives as a result of the regime’s strikes on the enclave. 

Netanyahu, known as Bibi, has time and again vowed to continue the war until achieving “total victory” over Hamas by “destroying” the group. 

Some 14 months after launching the onslaught, he has not only failed to deliver on his promise but hundreds of his troops have been killed at the hands of resistance fighters on the battlefield. 

Israeli officials have admitted that the regime won’t be able to defeat Hamas. 

In August, Netanyahu’s former sacked war minister Yoav Gallant dismissed the “total victory” slogan as “nonsense” and “gibberish”.  

In June, the Israeli military spokesman expressed skepticism regarding the feasibility of Netanyahu's objective to eliminate Hamas. 

“The idea that it is possible to destroy Hamas, to make Hamas vanish — that is throwing sand in the eyes of the public,” Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari told Israel’s Channel 13. He added, “Hamas is an idea, deeply rooted in the hearts of the residents of Gaza.”

The Israeli military’s intelligence and the American intelligence community have already cast doubt about whether Netanyahu’s war aim of defeating Hamas can be achieved. 

Israel has been unable to defeat Hamas. But his army has slaughtered tens of thousands of Palestinians since the start of the war. 

The Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza announced on Monday that the death toll from Israel’s brutal war on the enclave has topped the grim milestone of 45,000. The fatalities include 17,000 children. 

The slaughter of Palestinian civilians has deepened Israel’s international isolation. The regime’s failure to release captives has also developed domestic rifts. 

Israel and its main supporter, the United States, are now desperately trying to establish a ceasefire. A potential ceasefire may assist Israel in extricating itself from the complexities of the Gaza conflict; however, it will also highlight the strength of the Palestinian resistance more prominently than before.