Egyptian sources reported tonight (between Sunday and Monday) on significant progress in hostage negotiations. The parties will leave Egypt and return within two days to agree on all the terms of the American-proposed deal.
According to the American proposal, Hamas dropped its demand for Israel to end the war in Gaza and Israel will agree to have residents of northern Gaza return to their homes. A senior political official told Channel 12 yesterday: "These are critical hours, we have reached the moment of truth, we will know if we are going to have a deal or not. We are approaching the stage of difficult decisions."
Yesterday, Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi referred to the possibility of a deal. "These negotiations should be carried out responsibly and carefully and their details should be left in the right places. The IDF is strong enough to withstand the price of [releasing terrorists.] We have a moral duty to our sons and daughters. We will return and continue fighting," he was quoted as saying.
