According to the report, Israel is seeing several processes that are taking place that will lead Hamas to delay the contacts at this stage: The international pressure on Israel and the recognition of a Palestinian state by several countries in the world, the impending dissolution of the War Cabinet, the tense relations between Washington and Jerusalem, as well as continued flexibility on the part of Israel in every proposal submitted in the past to Hamas.
Officials in Israel expect Qatar to pressure Hamas, in order to move forward in the talks between the parties. On Wednesday, Qatar presented the Israeli position to Hamas, which includes flexibility in terms of the number of hostages to be released in the first phase of the deal, which is defined as humanitarian.
On Thursday evening, the terrorist organization issued an official statement in which it announced that it would agree to a deal to return hostages only if Israel stops the war.
"We informed the mediators of our clear position - if Israel stops the fighting in Gaza, we are ready to reach a comprehensive agreement on an exchange deal," said the Hamas statement.
