Israeli official: Hamas showing some flexibility in hostage talks, but nothing certain

Hamas is showing some flexibility in hostage talks, an Israeli official with knowledge of the details tells The Times of Israel.

The terror group understands that a deal will mean a ceasefire, but not an end to the war, at least in the first phase, says the official, attributing the flexibility to diplomatic and military pressure and Hamas’s isolation.

“Will that be enough to lead to a deal? We don’t know. In the end, the ball is in Hamas’s court,” the official says.

Hamas has in the past insisted it will not agree to any deal that does not guarantee an end to the war.

Arab and Israeli officials said yesterday that the terror group has shown flexibility regarding the terms of the IDF withdrawal from Gaza, indicating it is prepared to allow Israeli troops to remain in the key Philadelphi and Netzarim corridors during the first phase of the deal after long demanding their immediate pullout from those routes.

“If Hamas says, ‘Come to a deal now,’ there will be a deal today,” says the official, adding that there are currently “open conversations” among working groups in Qatar. An Israeli delegation could head to Cairo in the coming days.

Israel is working through both mediating countries because it doesn’t know who will make the final call — Hamas’s leadership abroad, who have resided in Qatar, or the group’s leadership in Gaza, which is closer to Egypt.

But despite the positive signs, the deal could fall apart, cautioned the official. “They’ve refused every deal that was offered to them in this stage. They could still get cold feet and run away from it.”

In the meantime, Israel is still working on the much-discussed plan that would see a private American contractor provide humanitarian aid to Gaza in a small piece of territory as a pilot, to reduce Hamas control over aid in Gaza. “I can tell you we are in the stages where the operation will begin soon,” says the official. The initial pilot will have the company operating under IDF protection.

Israel has also cut down the number of trucks delivering food and products from private sources, including businessmen, because Hamas is far more likely to loot them than they are from trucks belonging to NGOs, says the official.