Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal possible, despite Hamas changes to truce proposal
Israel believes Hamas's response to the hostage deal "still allows for the possibility of closing a deal, and that's why the decision was made to send a delegation," a senior Israeli official told The Jerusalem Post on Sunday.
This comes after Israeli officials clarified that there are elements in Hamas's response that "are not acceptable to Israel."
The delegation traveling to Doha on Sunday evening to advance negotiations on a hostage deal will include the Coordinator for the Hostages and the Missing, Brig.-Gen. (Res.) Gal Hirsch, senior Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) official "M," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's political advisor Ophir Falk, and additional representatives from the IDF, Mossad, and Shin Bet.
The gaps between Israel and Hamas are narrow, a source familiar with the talks told the Post.
"A deal could be reached within a day,' the source said. 'The differences are not that significant — it all depends on how stubborn each side is and how much pressure the American president applies.'
Netanyahu is expected to meet with US President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday, with the two leaders expected to discuss the hostage deal negotiations, the expansion of the Abraham Accords, and the issue of Iran in the wake of the recent escalation.
The Israeli cabinet voted in favor of distributing humanitarian aid throughout the Gaza Strip on Saturday, following a heated discussion during which Netanyahu harshly criticized IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir over delays in establishing the "humanitarian city" in south Gaza.
"There's no reason to wait. We need to move forward," Netanyahu said.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich (Religious Zionist Party) and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir (Otzma Yehudit) voted against the proposal on Saturday, citing opposition to the current aid distribution in north Gaza, which they argued is complicating civilian evacuation efforts.
Images were shown to ministers of civilians running toward aid centers during the meeting.
"Look at the soldiers. This is not far from them," Zamir commented.
"Why are we distributing aid and putting our soldiers at risk?" Ben-Gvir responded.
"They're running because there's no food. If they had enough food, they wouldn't run like that," Netanyahu stated.
"We must stop this! They're running because that's their mentality. Even when hostages were brought in, they chased after them. Were they starving then, too?!" Ben-Gvir argued.
"This process is being mismanaged," National Missions Minister Orit Strock (Religious Zionist Party) argued.
"Then you manage it," Minister in the Justice Ministry, Regional Cooperation Minister, and Ministerial Liaison to the Knesset David Amsalem (Likud) retorted.
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