“Contrary to reports, the Hamas terrorist group has not yet returned its response to the deal,” the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office stated.
Ceasefire negotiations between Israel and the Hamas terrorist group reached a breakthrough in Doha, Qatar, on Wednesday, Israeli sources involved with the talks told Hebrew media. The sources expressed hope that the deal could be announced as early as Thursday and implemented on Sunday.
According to the Reuters news agency, the Israeli negotiating team was set to update Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the progress in Doha during a scheduled conference call on Wednesday night.
However, Netanyahu’s office released a statement emphasizing that “contrary to reports, the Hamas terrorist group has not yet returned its response to the deal.”
Preparations were reportedly being made in Jerusalem to convene the Security Cabinet, which is made up of senior ministers, and the full government to approve the ceasefire agreement on Thursday.
An unidentified Palestinian source told Israel’s Kan News that the breakthrough was achieved on Wednesday morning during a “crucial” meeting of Hamas’s leadership. The source also said the truce could be announced on Thursday and be implemented 24 to 48 hours later.
Citing Arab sources, the newspaper reported that Mohammed Sinwar, the de facto leader of Hamas in Gaza and brother of slain leader Yahya Sinwar, gave his “in principle” approval to the terms.
Sinwar’s agreement reportedly came mere hours after Hamas publicly announced for the first time that negotiations were in its “final stages.”
“There is a breakthrough in the hostage deal negotiations in Doha. Hamas’ military leader in Gaza Mohammed Sinwar gave his OK,” an Israeli official was quoted as confirming by Axios on Wednesday.
Saudi outlets Al Arabiya and Al-Hadath reported earlier on Wednesday that the terrorist organization was still reviewing “some of the terms” and asked the Qataris for several hours to formulate a response.
A Palestinian Islamic Jihad official told the AFP agency on Wednesday that a “high-ranking” delegation from the Iranian-backed terrorist organization had arrived in Qatar to participate in the negotiations.
The anonymous PIJ official said that “discussions are ongoing, focusing on the mechanism for implementing the ceasefire agreement and the names of Palestinian prisoners included in the exchange deal.”
On Tuesday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told NBC that the Islamic Republic and its terror proxies would not try to block the deal.
According to the Saudi outlets, Hamas has begun the process of dividing the hostages into groups ahead of their possible release. The terror group was also said to have reached out to the International Committee of the Red Cross, which helped provide some transportation services during the November 2023 ceasefire, during which Hamas released 105 hostages.
Meanwhile, Egyptian sources told Sky News Arabia on Wednesday that Cairo was carrying out “necessary preparations” at the Rafah Crossing with southern Gaza to prepare for an influx of aid as part of a deal.
The Associated Press reported on Tuesday that Hamas had accepted a draft deal, however, there has been no confirmation from the mediators—Qatar, Egypt and the U.S.—that an agreement has been finalized.
The three-phase deal will include the release of 33 hostages—women, children, elderly individuals and wounded civilians—over a 42-day period, in exchange for potentially hundreds of Palestinian terrorists held in Israeli prisons, including murderers, according to AP.
Hamas is holding 98 hostages, 94 of whom were taken during the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre and four of whom were captured in 2014, according to the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office. Thirty-six are deceased, including two from 2014 (Israeli Defense Forces Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul).