Hostage negotiations between Israel and Hamas have been at an impasse in recent days, since Hamas’s response to US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff’s proposal for a temporary ceasefire and hostage release deal, two sources familiar with the negotiations told The Times of Israel on Sunday.

The lack of progress would appear to belie the optimism expressed by some mediators last week that Hamas would agree to soften its initial response to Witkoff’s proposal, a response that was declared “unacceptable” by the US envoy.

The US proposal offered a 60-day truce in the war-torn Gaza Strip, accompanied by a partial Israeli military withdrawal and increased humanitarian aid deliveries, in exchange for the release of 10 living hostages and 18 deceased hostages.

Hamas’s response to the offer included a demand that would make it more difficult for Israel to resume fighting if talks on a permanent ceasefire were not completed by the end of the 60-day truce. It also envisioned the release of the 10 living hostages being spread out throughout the truce, rather than in two batches on the first and seventh day as the US offer had stipulated.

Witkoff told hostage families in Washington last week that he was optimistic about the chances for a breakthrough before the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, which began on Friday and ends on Tuesday, according to a source present at the meeting.

Even if such a breakthrough had been reached, however, and Hamas had submitted a softened response, the sides would still need to hold a round of proximity talks to confirm final details, such as the exact parameters of Israel’s partial military withdrawal during the temporary truce.

But the chance of a breakthrough happening at all would appear to be slim, as Hamas is standing by its demand for clearer wording that prevents Israel from resuming the war if terms on a permanent ceasefire are not reached during the 60-day truce, an Arab official from one of the mediating countries said.

The proposal currently leaves open a window for Israel to resume fighting if talks on a permanent ceasefire do not bear fruit within 60 days.

Witkoff has been urging mediators to lean on........

© The Times of Israel