Ahead of the Israeli negotiation team’s departure for further talks in Doha and Cairo, Israeli prime minister outlined a list of ‘non-negotiable’ demands on Sunday evening.
Hamas is currently awaiting a response from Israel regarding its proposal for a captive release and ceasefire, according to two officials from the group.
“We have left our response with the mediators and are waiting to hear the occupation’s response,” one of the anonymous Hamas officials told Reuters, just five days after the group accepted key parts of a United States ceasefire plan.
The three-phase plan, introduced by U.S. President Joe Biden at the end of May, is being mediated by Qatar and Egypt.
Another Palestinian official privy to the matter confirmed to Reuters that Israel is engaged in talks with Qatari intermediaries.
“They have discussed with them Hamas’ response and they promised to give them Israel’s response within days,” the official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told Reuters.
Haaretz, citing an unnamed source, reported that Israel has presented new demands in the ceasefire negotiations after Hamas accepted the latest terms. These new demands from Israel could potentially delay the agreement, as per Haaretz.
Hamas has accepted the U.S. proposal to initiate talks on the release of Israeli captives, including occupation soldiers, 16 days after the first phase of a deal aimed at put an end to the genocidal war in Gaza, a senior Hamas source told Reuters on Saturday.
The group has allegedly dropped its demand for Israel to commit to a permanent ceasefire before signing the agreement, Reuters reported.
Instead, negotiations for a ceasefire will occur throughout the six-week first phase, according to the source, who requested anonymity due to the discreet nature of the talks.
A Palestinian official involved in the negotiation efforts stated that the proposal could potentially lead to a framework agreement, provided it is embraced by Israel, and end the nine-month war on Gaza.
The latest development comes after Israel sent its negotiators to the Gulf state over the weekend for a fresh round of talks after Hamas sent mediators, Qatar and Egypt, an amended proposal on Wednesday.
An Israeli negotiator, also speaking on condition of anonymity, expressed optimism on Friday, noting a real chance of reaching an agreement, a stark contrast to previous instances where Israel found Hamas’ conditions unacceptable.
The latest talks are taking place under a state of cautious optimism, especially as negotiations have stalled since the expiration of last year’s week-long truce, brokered by Qatar and Egypt.
The truce resulted in the release of 109 Israeli captives out of 251 held by Hamas and 240 Palestinians from Israeli prisons – some of whom have since been re-arrested by Israeli forces.
The war entered its tenth month on Sunday, with more than 38,000 people killed, mainly women and children and displacing at least 1.9 million people.
