Israel said its negotiating team was discussing the hostage issue with Egyptian mediators Sunday, as deep divisions persist between Israel and Hamas over the terms of a fragile Gaza ceasefire.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, meanwhile, sought to dismiss the head of internal security agency Shin Bet, amid a public spat over proposed reforms to the agency following Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.

Mediated by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States, the initial phase of the ceasefire took effect on January 19, largely halting more than 15 months of fighting in Gaza triggered by the Hamas attack.

That phase ended in early March, and though both sides have since refrained from all-out war, they have been unable to agree on the next stage of the ceasefire in the Palestinian territory.

Netanyahu's office said in a statement an Israeli negotiating team was "currently meeting in Egypt with senior Egyptian officials to discuss the issue of hostages".

Late on Saturday, Netanyahu had told Israeli negotiators to continue the indirect talks on the ceasefire.

He directed them to base the negotiations on what his office said was a proposal by US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff that calls for the "immediate release of 11 living hostages and half of the deceased........

© Al Monitor