Retired Army Lt. Col. Tony Shaffer, the president of the London Center for Policy Research, told Newsmax on Thursday that Israel and Hamas are unlikely to agree to a third ceasefire despite attempts from the Trump administration to broker one in Rome this week.

Shaffer said on Newsmax’s “Wake Up America” that the U.S. envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, who is in Rome this week for negotiations with senior Israeli and Qatari officials, “was predicating his move to go to Qatar for continued negotiations on the response” to a ceasefire proposal.

“I don’t think it’s going to happen,” Shaffer said. “The response sounds like it’s not within scope of what would be acceptable to the Israelis.”

Read more at Newsmax© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.