Hamas has given preliminary consent to release a larger number of hostages as part of a new ceasefire proposal, Al-Arabiya TV reports, citing its sources, News.bg reports.
According to them, the negotiations are entering a decisive stage, with the draft agreement almost finalized. The United States has promised Hamas to pressure Israel to engage in talks to end the war, The Times of Israel reported.
The talks have so far been blocked by Israel's insistence on the release of 11 live hostages in exchange for a temporary cessation of hostilities, while Hamas has offered only five.
Under the new proposal, Israel is ready to accept the release of 8 to 10 hostages, including American-Israeli citizen Edan Alexander, who was shown in a Hamas propaganda video on Saturday.
The plan calls for the release to take place in two stages, parallel to the admission of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. Hamas is also expected to provide medical reports on the remaining hostages. The question of whether Hamas leaders would remain in Gaza has been put on hold for now.
Egypt and Qatar, with the help of the United States, are working on an expanded version of the January truce that could include initial steps toward ending the war. Egypt has even proposed that Hamas be demilitarized under Egyptian supervision as part of a lasting agreement.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu softened his stance after meeting with President Donald Trump last week. Israel has accepted a proposal for a 45-day truce, in which hostages would be released in the first weeks, and has dropped the requirement that the releases be strictly phased.
Tel Aviv has also offered to exchange the bodies of dead Palestinians for 16 bodies of Israelis still in Gaza. Israel has also agreed to allow humanitarian aid in and withdraw troops to positions before the offensive resumes on March 18.
Despite these concessions, Netanyahu continues to reject a complete end to the war and a withdrawal of the army before the final destruction of Hamas' military structure - an organization that the US, EU and Israel designate as a terrorist organization.
According to polls, a majority of Israelis would support an end to the war in exchange for the release of all 59 hostages, of whom only 24 are believed to still be alive.