The day's media heavily featured the intensifying international push for Palestinian state recognition, with Canada, Germany, Portugal, and the UK signalling intent. This diplomatic pressure occurred as US envoy Steve Witkoff arrived for urgent hostage negotiations, attempting to revive stalled talks from previous days. By early afternoon, Israeli reports indicated a collapse in the existing deal framework, citing Hamas's disengagement and low chances for progress. This led to a prevailing sentiment of inevitable military expansion in Gaza. Concurrently, Islamic Jihad released a video of hostage Rom Braslavsky, prompting emotional family appeals for leadership meetings. In response, by evening, Israeli officials, aligning with the US, articulated a new strategy: "no more partial deals," advocating for a comprehensive plan to release all hostages, potentially involving disarming Hamas.
