Israel and Egypt provided Hamas with an updated proposal for a deal for the release of the remaining 134 hostages on Tuesday, as the Israeli negotiating delegation headed home.
“The State of Israel is continuing to make all necessary efforts for the release of the hostages from Hamas and their return to Israel,” the Prime Minister’s Office said.
“In the framework of the talks, under useful Egyptian mediation, the mediators formulated an updated proposal for Hamas,” it explained.
The PMO said it “expects the mediators to take vigorous action regarding Hamas to advance the negotiations toward a deal.”
The Israeli team was composed of members from the Mossad, the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), and the IDF, and engaged in an “intensive round of negotiations,” during its time in Cairo, the PMO said.
The talks were the latest round of negotiations in a protracted process mediated by Qatar and Egypt with the support of the United States.
The Biden administration had initially been hopeful that a deal could be reached by the start of Ramadan, but as calls grow for a Gaza ceasefire that is not contingent on the release of the hostages, hope has dimmed for a deal that would see a six-week pause to the war.
Israel expects the mediators to push Hamas harder
In an interview with the Palestinian press agency Safa on Tuesday, senior Hamas official Mahmoud al-Mardawi stated there was no new proposal to review.
“The occupation wants an exchange deal and does not want to negotiate the basic positions related to the return of the displaced, [and a] complete withdrawal from the Gaza Strip,” he said.
Mardawi also noted that the pressure positioned on Israel, both internally and externally, works in the Palestinians’ favor.
According to the Saudi state-owned al-Arabiya channel on Tuesday, Israel reportedly drafted new proposals for a hostage deal/
The deal it put on the table would create three safe corridors in northern Gaza to enable Palestinians to return to their homes in stages, sources told the channel.
In addition, Israel allegedly required that it be notified via mediators of the situation of the hostages detained in Hamas captivity.