Hamas to respond to ceasefire proposal soon, said to be ‘satisfied’ with assurances that Israel is ready to end the war

Israel is now ready to discuss a comprehensive framework for an end to the war in Gaza, Channel 12 News reported, while Hamas is signaling it could agree to the latest proposal and is expected to issue an official response to it before the weekend.

Sources seen as close to the terror group told the Saudi Al-Sharq news channel on Thursday that Hamas is satisfied with the language on several critical points, as well as the assurances given by the mediators.

Hamas had demanded assurances that Israel would not renew the fighting as long as negotiations are ongoing concerning a final cessation of hostilities and an Israeli withdrawal. These negotiations are set to start during the initial 60-day ceasefire.

The agreement also reportedly includes a guarantee that U.S. President Donald Trump would personally announce the agreement and serve as its official sponsor and guarantor.

Hamas is expected to deliver an official response before Friday evening, the sources said. Should the response be positive, an Israeli delegation is expected to fly to Doha during the weekend to continue proximity talks.

This is the first time that Israel is ready to discuss an agreement that includes a final end to the war, Channel 12 reported, citing sources involved in the talks.

President Trump had further raised the pressure on Israel when he announced, in a post on social media early Wednesday morning, that it (Israel) had agreed to the “necessary conditions” for a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza.

During a press conference in Estonia later on Wednesday, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar stressed that Israel is “serious in our intent to reach a hostage deal and a ceasefire. We have said yes to the proposals of Special Envoy Witkoff.”

“There are positive signs of a breakthrough. I don’t want to elaborate further at this stage. But our goal is to begin proximity talks as soon as possible,” he said, but also stressed, “Hamas is still holding 50 of our hostages in cruel captivity. The war could end tomorrow if they release them and disarm.”

“Hamas is not only responsible for starting this war – it is also responsible for its continuation. Pressure must be applied on Hamas,” Sa’ar said.

The deal that is being discussed would see the release of 10 of the around 20 hostages that remain alive in five stages staggered through the 60-day ceasefire period. In addition, Hamas would release 18 hostage bodies.

In exchange, Israel would release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, an Israeli defense official and a Palestinian close to Hamas told the New York Times.

The other 10 living and 12 dead hostages would then be released upon final agreements for an end to the war.

Hamas has reportedly committed not to repeat its humiliating handover ceremonies, like those it televised live during the last ceasefire in January.

Despite ostensible Israeli concessions – the readiness to agree to a final end of the war, and the hostage release in several stages – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated Wednesday that he plans to “fundamentally eliminate” Hamas.

“I am telling you – there will be no more Hamas. There will be no more Hamastan. We are not going back to that. It's over. We will free all of our hostages,” he declared.

It remains unclear whether Hamas will agree to disarm and to accept the exile of its senior leadership. Without these Israeli demands, Hamas could once again claim victory in the war.

Netanyahu is set to visit the White House next week, and the Trump administration reportedly wants to declare either an agreement or at least a significant breakthrough during that time.

According to Channel 12, Netanyahu is expected to request that Trump ramp up the direct pressure on Qatar to threaten the Hamas leadership based in the country with expulsion if the group doesn’t show flexibility in the talks.

“Hamas leaders are traveling freely around the world and feel no pressure – that’s why they’re in no rush to make a deal,” Channel 12 quoted Israeli security officials as saying.

Israel is also continuing to apply military pressure, having substantially reinforced its troops in the Gaza Strip again after reducing them during the Iran campaign.

According to Axios, Israeli officials warned that if there is no progress in the ceasefire talks, the military operations will escalate again.

“We'll do to Gaza City and the central camps what we did to Rafah. Everything will turn to dust,” a senior Israeli official threatened. “It's not our preferred option, but if there's no movement toward a hostage deal, we won't have any other choice.”