Israeli media say a decision was made to dispatch a delegation to the Qatari capital, Doha, to hold hostage deal talks with Hamas amid the ongoing diplomatic efforts and a US proposal for a temporary 60-day ceasefire.
The talks are aimed at "bridging the gaps" between the two warring sides and come after Hamas announced on Friday that it has given a “positive” response to the latest proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza, after deliberating with other Palestinian factions.
The group did however note that further discussions were needed to agree to a framework of implementation and iron-out details.
It was not clear if Hamas’ statement meant it had accepted the proposal from US President Donald Trump for a 60-day ceasefire. Hamas has been seeking guarantees that the initial truce would lead to a total end to the war, now nearly 21 months old.
In a statement issued late Friday, Hamas said it has “delivered the response to the mediators, which was positive.”
“The movement is ready in all seriousness to enter immediately into a round of negotiations on the mechanism to implement this framework,” it said, without elaborating.
Trump has been pushing hard for a ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel to be reached. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is due to visit the White House next week to discuss a deal with the American president.
On Tuesday, Trump said that Israel had agreed on terms for a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza - during which the US would "work with all parties to end the war." He then urged Hamas to accept the deal before conditions worsen.
A Hamas official said the ceasefire could start as early as next week but he said talks were needed first to work out how many Palestinian prisoners would be released in return for each freed Israeli hostage and to specify the amount of aid that will enter Gaza during the truce.
Hamas has said it wants aid to flow in greater quantities through the United Nations and other humanitarian agencies. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to discuss the response with the press.
Hamas' statement came as Israeli airstrikes reportedly killed 15 Palestinians in Gaza early on Friday, while a local hospital said another 20 people died in shootings while seeking aid.
According to the UN human rights office, at least 613 Palestinians have been killed inside of a month while trying to obtain aid in Gaza. Most were reportedly killed as they tried to reach food distribution points run by an Israeli-backed American organisation.
