Israel has significantly softened its stance on the conditions for a hostage deal with Hamas, raising hopes of a breakthrough in diplomatic efforts to end the war in Gaza.
After weeks of deadlock, Israel had accepted a proposal that sets out an initial six-week pause in the fighting during which Hamas would release 33 hostages, said a diplomat briefed on the talks. This would include children, the elderly, women, including female soldiers, and wounded captives.
That would be followed by a second phase that calls for “restoring a sustainable calm”, wording proposed by the US, the diplomat said. Mediators hope this would overcome the main hurdle to a deal — Hamas’s insistence on a permanent ceasefire at the end of any arrangement, which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has repeatedly rejected.