With bated breath for the ceasefire in the Middle East. Senior Israeli officials said there are early indications that Hamas will agree to carry out the first phase of the deal – the humanitarian release of the hostages – without an official commitment from Israel to end the war. This was reported by Barak Ravid of Axios on X. According to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, which cites Arab media, Hamas has received a guarantee from American officials that Israel will leave the Strip.
He calls for caution in Tel Aviv. Hamas has not yet formally responded to the latest proposal, underlines Benny Gantz, former Israeli chief of staff and member of the war cabinet, who criticized sources who anonymously comment on news relating to the ongoing negotiations. “I advise ‘diplomatic sources’ and all other decision-makers to wait for official updates, to act with moderation and not to get caught up in hysteria for political reasons,” he said in a statement. When Hamas submits a response, the war cabinet will meet to deliberate it, he said
Meanwhile, the Israeli delegation will not leave for Cairo until a response is received from Hamas on a possible hostage deal. an Israeli official was quoted by Israeli state radio Kan as saying.
