Mediators involved in the ongoing hostage negotiations are increasingly hopeful that Hamas will soon present a revised proposal more closely aligned with the plan recently outlined by US special envoy Steve Witkoff, according to three individuals with direct knowledge of the talks who spoke to The Times of Israel on Wednesday.
Hamas had initially submitted a counteroffer to Witkoff’s plan on Shabbos, but the US envoy dismissed it as entirely unacceptable.
Since that response, Egyptian and Qatari officials—working alongside Bishara Bahbah, Witkoff’s representative in Doha and a Palestinian-American businessman and political advocate—have been engaged in efforts to persuade Hamas to roll back or remove some of the more problematic revisions it had made to the American proposal, according to one Arab official and another source involved in the mediation.
A third person familiar with the talks said Witkoff remains cautiously optimistic that progress could be achieved before the upcoming Eid al-Adha holiday, which begins on Friday. He reportedly conveyed this sense of optimism during a meeting at the White House on Tuesday with relatives of hostages.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, and Chief of Staff Susie Wiles joined Witkoff at the meeting, representing the Trump administration.
The Israeli attendees included former hostage Tal Shoham; family members of hostages Guy Gilboa Dalal and Evyatar David; and the parents of Omer Neutra, who was killed in captivity.
“Wiles, Leavitt and Witkoff expressed deep solidarity with the families and reaffirmed the Trump administration’s full commitment to securing the release of all 58 hostages. They emphasized that the administration will continue working relentlessly until every hostage is brought home,” a statement from the Hostage Family Forum said.
“We are fully committed to securing the release of all the hostages and believe their return is essential, not only on humanitarian and moral grounds but also as a critical step toward regional stability,” said a statement from Leavitt. “The [March] meeting between the president and the captivity survivors had a profound impact on him and reinforced his determination to bring every hostage home.”
Even if Hamas agrees to a more moderate version of the offer, negotiators will still have to engage in indirect talks to finalize key elements of the deal, such as defining the scope and sequence of Israel’s partial pullback from Gaza during the proposed 60-day truce.
A central sticking point in the negotiations is whether the temporary ceasefire currently being discussed gives Israel enough leeway to resume military operations later, or if the security guarantees provided by the Trump administration will convince Hamas that the truce will be upheld indefinitely.
According to the Arab official and a second source, the proposal Hamas submitted on Shabbos included several adjustments to Witkoff’s plan, one of which sought to restrict Israel’s ability to restart combat if discussions toward a permanent ceasefire don’t wrap up before the two-month pause ends.
Another change made by Hamas was to alter the timeline for releasing 10 hostages. Instead of following the US blueprint, which called for their release in two groups on days one and seven, Hamas suggested spreading the releases across the duration of the truce.
This modification was designed to deter Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu from pulling out of long-term truce negotiations once the initial hostages are freed, a tactic he employed during the prior ceasefire period that collapsed in March when Israel launched new military operations in Gaza.
Hamas also proposed reinstating the UN-operated aid delivery mechanisms that Israel shut down in March over claims that Hamas was exploiting them—an accusation denied by both the UN and other international humanitarian bodies.
In response, Israel and the US backed a new aid distribution model called the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, intended to limit Hamas’s involvement. However, the initiative has drawn sharp criticism for its limited reach—only three sites have been established, with just one usually functioning each day since it began on May 26. This has forced Gazans to travel long distances, often while under threat of Israeli fire, to collect boxes of dry food that require cooking equipment to be usable.
On Sunday, Netanyahu’s office confirmed Israel’s acceptance of the Witkoff proposal, though the cabinet has not yet held a formal vote. Multiple far-right ministers have since voiced strong opposition to the plan.
According to a second insider, Hamas is upset with Witkoff over his close coordination with Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer in formulating the truce plan. Hamas viewed Dermer’s contributions as contradicting earlier understandings that had already been reached.
A copy of Witkoff’s most recent proposal, verified by two individuals involved in the negotiations, outlines the release of 10 living Israeli hostages and the return of the remains of 18 deceased captives over the course of the proposed 60-day ceasefire.
{Matzav.com}
