Israel presses Hamas for response on final deal terms

A three-stage deal to release the hostages held by Hamas terrorists in Gaza has been reached, and parties are awaiting Hamas’s response, a source told The Jerusalem Post on Monday morning.

“The hostage deal outline is clear, and Israel has come a long, long way,” an Israeli official told the Post.

“We are moving forward slowly and carefully. We hope that Hamas will stop with its refusals,” the official added.

Though other deals have failed due to the lack of cooperation from Hamas and their negotiators, sources close to the negotiations have expressed optimism that the Gaza-based terror group will accept Israel’s proposals.

“It seems to be going in a positive direction, but [we] must be careful. We know this from past experiences,” the source told the Post Monday morning.

A rally calling for the release of the hostages held captive by Hamas in Gaza, at the Hostage Square in Tel Aviv, December 14, 2024 (credit: AVSHALOM SASSONI/FLASH90)

However, Israel has reportedly not received a draft proposal for a deal to halt the fighting in Gaza and return its hostages, an Israeli official told Reuters Monday.

Earlier, an official briefed on the negotiations said Qatar had handed Israel and Hamas a “final” draft of a ceasefire and hostage release agreement designed to end the war in Gaza.

Moving forward on a deal?

Hamas sources told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has agreed to end the war following the completion of the first phase of a ceasefire deal.

Al-Araby reported that there has been a “clear shift” in Netanyahu’s position regarding “the process of completing the war after the first stage [of a ceasefire deal].”

The article comes after KAN News reported that Qatar sent Israel “a positive message” regarding Hamas’s intentions to move forward in negotiations on a hostage and ceasefire deal.

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A source from Hamas told the London-based news outlet that some of the changes were regarding agreements to postpone discussions on some contentious issues until later stages of the negotiations.

Jerusalem Post Staff, Reuters contributed to this report.