As negotiations for a hostage deal progress, Kan News reported Tuesday evening that one of the central unresolved issues between Israel and Hamas concerns the mechanism for distributing humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip.
According to the report, at least one version of a compromise proposed by Qatar suggests placing the United Nations in charge of food distribution in Gaza. The intention behind the proposal is to reduce Hamas’s control over the flow of goods and limit its ability to dominate humanitarian aid.
Israeli sources told Kan News that there is still no agreement on this issue.
Meanwhile, Hamas is reportedly pushing to return to the previous aid model, which excludes the American GHF fund. This model, used in the past, allowed Hamas to maintain partial control over incoming goods and leverage aid to bolster its governance.
Earlier on Tuesday, US President Donald Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, commented on the progress in negotiations for an agreement with Hamas, stating that only one unresolved dispute remains.
Witkoff said, “We had four disagreements, and now only one remains. I hope we will be able to reach an agreement by the end of the week.”
The key remaining issue involves the positioning of the IDF during the proposed ceasefire. According to Witkoff, the developing deal includes a 60-day ceasefire, during which Hamas is expected to release ten live hostages and the bodies of nine others.
Additionally, Saudi news channel Al-Hadath reported that Israel's insistence on maintaining a military presence in the Morag axis and Rafah areas is a sticking point in the talks.