ceasefire-hopes-rise-as-israel-softens-stance

Israel has softened its stance from earlier demands for 11 hostages to be released as part of a hostage swap with Palestinian prisoners held by Hamas in order to revive the ceasefire that ended in deadlock last month, said officials.

 

Earlier last month, Israel demanded the release of 11 hostages in exchange for restoring the ceasefire, while Hamas offered to release five living hostages.

Seeking to meet the sides halfway, Egypt has recently started pushing a new proposal that would see eight living hostages released.

 

After meeting with US President Donald Trump earlier this week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to soften his demands, according to the two officials.

 

Israel has reportedly agreed to allow more humanitarian aid to flow into Gaza and withdraw its troops to the positions they held in the strip before the fighting resumed on 18 March, which saw Israeli forces recapture swathes of land in the already occupied enclave.

 

In its response, Israel agreed to hold negotiations on the terms of a permanent ceasefire once the truce has been restored, the officials said.

 

Hamas’s main priority is securing a permanent ceasefire. However, an agreement by Israel to hold such talks would likely be viewed by the group as insufficient.

 

To address Hamas’s concerns, US special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff has told Arab mediators that Trump would be willing to issue a public statement expressing Washington’s commitment to holding negotiations for a permanent Gaza ceasefire.

 

Egyptian mediators plan to share Israel’s response later this weekend with a Hamas delegation led by Khalil al-Hayya, which will arrive in Cairo on Saturday night, the officials said.

 

Hamas is expected to push back on many of Israel’s demands, and no resolution is anticipated in the coming days, the officials added.

 

Meanwhile, successive polls conducted in Israel have indicated that the government, led by Netanyahu and supported by a hard-line coalition, is facing increasing pressure from protesting Israelis who back ending the war sparked by Hamas’s 7 October 2023 attack in exchange for the release of all 59 remaining hostages—24 of whom are believed to still be alive.