NEGOTIATIONS held in Egypt and Qatar were reportedly making progress because Hamas had softened some of its positions.
Hamas has signaled it is ready to drop its demand for a permanent truce to resume ceasefire talks, adding it would rather seek commitment from mediators.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu toughened its stance and suggested Hamas wants a ceasefire because of its weak military position.
Among Netanyahu’s demands included any ceasefire deal to allow Israel to resume fighting in Gaza and no weapons will be smuggled from the Egypt-Gaza border to be passed on to Hamas.
He insisted that Israel maintain control of the territory immediately along the border — known as the Philadelphi corridor — and the Rafah border crossing, as well as ban Hamas militants from returning to the northern Gaza Strip.
An Israeli official who spoke under the condition of anonymity stated that the prime minister wants to take advantage of Hamas’ weakened position to get the most out of the negotiations as well as pressure the group to hasten the release of more than 100 Israeli hostages in Gaza.
The White House said it is optimistic a ceasefire deal could be reached in the near future.
If the ceasefire pushes through, the long-delayed ceasefire deal would deliver a huge foreign policy win for President Joe Biden, who is struggling to restore trust within his own policy party and international allies.
