Efforts to establish a ceasefire in Gaza and secure the release of hostages gained momentum on Friday after Hamas presented a modified proposal regarding the terms of the agreement, and Israel announced it would resume stalled negotiations. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu informed U.S. President Joe Biden that he would send a delegation to resume talks, and an Israeli official stated that "their team will be led by the head of the Mossad."
A source in the Israeli negotiation team, who spoke on condition of anonymity, indicated that "there is a real opportunity to reach an agreement after Hamas presented its revised proposal regarding the terms, which Israel received on Wednesday." He added, without detailing, that "the proposal put forward by Hamas involves a very significant breakthrough."
There is a noticeable difference between Israel's response to Hamas's proposal, which was submitted through intermediaries, and previous stances during the ongoing war, which has lasted about nine months in the Gaza Strip, when Israel had declared the conditions set by Hamas unacceptable.
A Palestinian official close to the peace efforts, which are being mediated internationally, told Reuters that "Hamas's new proposal could lead to a framework agreement if accepted by Israel." He mentioned that "Hamas is no longer insisting on the precondition that Israel must commit to a permanent ceasefire before signing the agreement and will allow negotiations to achieve that during the first six-week phase." He added: "If both sides need more time to reach an agreement on a permanent ceasefire, they must agree that there will be no return to fighting until they do so."
