Channel 12 reported: "In light of the ground maneuver in Gaza City, the Minister of Strategic Affairs is expected to meet with US President Donald Trump's envoy in London." The statement explained that the agenda for the two ministers' meeting includes discussing "the resumption of negotiations on a comprehensive deal to release all kidnapped soldiers and end the war" in Gaza.
The channel quoted an unnamed informed source as saying, "The Americans are urging Israel to take steps to ease tensions with Qatar," following Israel's attack on Doha on September 9.
The channel indicated that Qatari officials are currently in London (unnamed), but it is unclear whether they will also participate in the meeting between Dermer and Witkoff, or whether they will hold separate meetings with the US envoy.
Another informed source told the channel, "The Americans are currently mediating between Israel and Qatar in an attempt to find a solution that will resolve the crisis that arose following the Israeli attack on senior Hamas officials in Doha and return the Qataris to the mediation process between Israel and Hamas."
Another informed source added, "The Americans believe there is a chance for resuming negotiations between Israel and Hamas within the next two weeks, despite the start of the ground operation in Gaza City. However, this will not be possible as long as the crisis between Qatar and Israel continues."
There was no immediate response from Netanyahu's office, Dermer's office, the White House, or Qatar to the Channel 12 report. However, the official Israeli Broadcasting Corporation reported Wednesday evening that "Israel informed the United States that there is currently no hope of reaching a deal to release the kidnapped soldiers, and therefore the fighting in the Gaza Strip must escalate."
In a related development, the Axios news website quoted an informed source as saying that Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer is scheduled to meet in London with US envoy Steve Witkoff to discuss the possibility of resuming negotiations on a comprehensive deal to release all detainees and end the war in Gaza.
The source said that the Americans see an opportunity to resume negotiations between Israel and Hamas within the next two weeks, despite the start of the ground operation in Gaza City. However, the same source indicated that the Americans also believe this will not be possible if the crisis between Qatar and Israel continues, referring to the repercussions of the Israeli targeting of the Hamas negotiating delegation in Doha on the ninth of this month.
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On the ground, dozens of activists and family members of Israeli prisoners held in Gaza demonstrated Wednesday evening in front of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's home in West Jerusalem, demanding a prisoner exchange deal with Hamas that would return their relatives from the besieged Strip.
About 200 people participated in a demonstration by the families of prisoners near Netanyahu's home on Gaza Street in Jerusalem, according to the Hebrew newspaper Haaretz.
During the demonstration, Michael Iloz, the father of prisoner "Guy" who was killed in captivity, vowed to continue demonstrating, saying, "Wherever you go, I will follow you. You are liars." He added, using a loudspeaker, "You don't care about the people. You don't care that my son rotted there in Gaza. You don't care that you left him to die there in captivity," according to the same source.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Israeli Prisoners' Families Committee announced that they would continue their demonstration outside Netanyahu's home because they "saw his wife enter the house completely ignoring them."
On Tuesday evening, Israeli police evacuated relatives of prisoners who had been protesting outside Netanyahu's home and were planning to spend the night there, according to Haaretz.
The Israeli opposition and the prisoners' families accuse Netanyahu of sabotaging any chance of reaching a deal to end the war and return their relatives, in order to preserve his political interests and remain in power. This is despite Hamas's acceptance of mediators' proposals for both a partial and comprehensive deal.
With American support, Israel has been committing genocide in Gaza since October 7, 2023, leaving 65,062 Palestinians dead and 165,697 injured, most of them children and women, and a famine that has claimed the lives of 428 Palestinians, including 146 children.
