Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to send an Israeli negotiation team to Qatar to continue the stalled hostage deal talks with the terror group Hamas, Israeli media reported on Thursday.
The decision came amid rekindled hope that the talks might be successful after Hamas transmitted a new proposal earlier in the week that seemingly showed readiness to compromise.
On Thursday evening, Israel's security cabinet met to discuss the hostage talks, and Netanyahu talked on the phone with U.S. President Joe Biden to update him on the latest developments.
According to Axios, Biden told Netanyahu it was "time to close" the deal, while the Israeli premier reiterated his "commitment to ending the war only after all of its goals have been achieved," according to the Prime Minister's Office.
Biden "welcomed the prime minister's decision to authorize his negotiators to engage with U.S., Qatari, and Egyptian mediators in an effort to close out the deal," the White House stated.
However, in a sign that the negotiations might take some time despite cautious optimism, Kan News reported Friday morning that Mossad Director David Barnea traveled to Qatar alone, without the rest of the negotiation team.
According to the report, Shin Bet Director Ronen Bar and Maj. Gen. Nitzan Alon, who usually takes part in the talks, did not accompany Barnea, while officials told Kan that the expectations for success should be lowered.
A senior White House official meanwhile told Axios, "We believe there is an opportunity now. It is not only in the hands of the Israelis but also in the hands of the mediators and in the hands of Hamas."
Biden and his team have studied Hamas' response and concluded it "moves the process forward" while being a possible basis for an agreement, he added.
The three-stage deal that Biden presented at the end of May continues to be the framework of the current talks, while Hamas initially took issue with several details, including the transition from the plans first to its second phase.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Wednesday told families of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza that Israel was "closer than ever" to reaching a deal with Hamas, according to Channel 12 News.
"A month ago I was pessimistic about our chances of reaching a deal anytime soon. One of my prime goals in all of my meetings in the United States was to put pressure on Hamas to come to a deal with the understanding that there's not going to be a better deal," Gallant was quoted as saying. "Today, and I'm saying this cautiously, we're closer than ever."
Security officials told Ynet News that while the prime minister was leaning toward accepting the deal, he was concerned that the far-right parts of his coalition, especially Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, could torpedo the agreement by threatening to leave the government.
Against the background of the resuming talks, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah received a Hamas delegation, led by Yahya Sinwar's deputy Khalil al-Hayya, to discuss the situation in Gaza and the latest cease-fire talks, Hezbollah stated.
Republished with permission from All Israel News