An Israeli official on Tuesday pushed back on “inaccurate” overnight reports that there had been a breakthrough in Gaza ceasefire-hostage release talks with American, Egyptian and Qatari mediators in Cairo, as Arabic media indicated there was a preliminary deal to release some captives as soon as May.

“Israel is working tirelessly with the Americans and the mediators with the goal of advancing a deal to free our hostages, but as of now, no agreement has been reached,” said the Israeli official, reiterating comments carried on Hebrew media Sunday night by Israeli officials, also unnamed, denying reports of a breakthrough.

A senior Hamas official also denied there had been progress in the talks, telling the Palestinian Islamic Jihad-linked Palestine Al-Youm news channel on Tuesday that Hamas had yet to be shown new ideas for a Gaza truce. The Hamas official stressed that the terror group opposes partial or temporary truce proposals.

However, sources cited by Saudi-owned network Al-Arabiyah said negotiators had hammered out a tentative deal to free US-Israeli captive soldier Edan Alexander and an unspecified number of other unnamed hostages. The sources said negotiators had also agreed to establish in Gaza three humanitarian aid corridors that would be overseen by mediators

Israeli sources, including a negotiator, who were cited by the network, said Israel’s delegation to the talks was awaiting the political echelon’s response to the reported agreements. The sources said positive messages had been exchanged in the talks, even as the US was exerting pressure on Hamas both directly and through the other mediators. Israel did not immediately respond to the Al-Arabiyah........

© The Times of Israel