Israeli officials with knowledge of the hostage and ceasefire negotiations say they have not yet collapsed and efforts are being made to bridge the gaps with the terror organization.
Israeli officials say negotiations for a hostage and ceasefire deal with Hamas continue despite the terror organization’s negative response to US Envoy Steve Witkoff’s new proposal.
Sources with knowledge of the issue told Kan News on Monday: “The negotiations have not yet collapsed, but the positions of the sides are distant, especially regarding the end of the war. We can still reach an agreement.”
Sources from the mediating states say that the US, Qatar, and Egypt have been holding a series of talks with Hamas to bridge the gaps between the terror organization and Israel.
The report also stated that Qatari Prime Minister al-Thani met with the Hamas overseas leadership in an attempt to find a way to overcome the gaps between Witkoff’s current proposal and Hamas’s corrections. Hamas remains steadfast on its demands for American guarantees to end the war.
At the same time, Turkey has also begun pressuring the terror organization. The head of Turkish intelligence, İbrahim Kalın, spoke on the phone with Hamas’s head negotiator, Khalil al-Hayya, and stressed Turkey’s commitment to reaching a ceasefire in Gaza.
According to Witkoff’s new proposal, ten living Israeli hostages and the bodies of 18 deceased hostages will be released on the first and seventh days of the ceasefire. Hamas demanded that the releases be divided over five days: the first, 10th, 30th, 50th, and 60th.
