Israeli negotiators returning from talks in Doha about a ceasefire and the release of hostages in Gaza expressed "cautious optimism" to Benjamin Netanyahu, according to the Prime Minister's Office on Saturday. Netanyahu's office stated, "There is hope that the significant pressure from the United States and mediators on Hamas can lead them to retract their opposition to the American proposal, which includes elements acceptable to Israel."
The United States presented a new proposal to Israel and Hamas on Friday, at the conclusion of two days of discussions in Doha, in an effort to bridge the remaining gaps and reach an agreement. An American official noted that the proposal nearly addresses all the gaps that had been under discussion over the past six weeks.
Hamas rejected what it termed "new conditions" included in the proposal on Friday and condemned the "American impositions" on Saturday.
#### Details of the American Proposal
According to Channel 12, which released details of the American mediation proposal in Doha, the document outlined a list of hostages to be released along with their release dates, as well as a list of Palestinian prisoners to be released in exchange for each hostage.
The American proposal stipulates that women and soldiers will be released first, with a priority on releasing living hostages. Washington also suggests the release of Afra Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed, who were captured by Hamas years ago.
The proposal includes a list of Palestinian prisoners who will be released for each Israeli captive, among them 47 prisoners who were released in the Shalit deal and have been imprisoned again in recent years. Additionally, more detailed summaries of Israeli military movements in various areas of the Gaza Strip during the ceasefire period have been provided.
Channel 12 confirmed that the issue of the Netzarim axis was not raised in the American document presented in Doha and will be discussed during U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken's visit to Israel.
#### Bridging the Gaps
Yedioth Ahronoth reported that sources familiar with the talks indicated that the working teams in Doha, as well as those arriving in Cairo, are attempting to bridge the gaps regarding the names of the prisoners and hostages to be released, in addition to discussing the Rafah issue and the Philadelphia axis.
One day after the conclusion of what the Americans termed a "last chance" meeting, insiders indicated that Hamas had not provided a response. Consequently, all advancements, narrowing of gaps, and cautious optimism remain subject to significant uncertainty.
