Hamas leaders abroad and in Gaza are expected to go in a "positive direction" during hostage deal negotiations following a round of consultation, according to reports by the Lebanese Al-Akhbar newspaper on Monday.
The leadership of Hamas abroad has completed a first round of consultations that included the senior officials of the terrorist organization as well as the leadership of the Islamic Jihad and other Palestinian factions.
Al-Akhbar claimed that the leadership of Hamas has updated the Qatari side on the "atmosphere" of what they believe will be the general framework for the answer, of which there is a focus on the urgency of ensuring that in any proposal, there will be a clear and direct provision regarding a complete cease-fire in the Gaza Strip and the promise of guarantees that emphasize Israel's commitment to stopping the war at the end of an exchange between hostages and Palestinian prisoners.
Hamas is expected to introduce new key conditions into any agreement moving forward
Palestinian sources told Al-Akhbar that Hamas leadership in Gaza agreed with the leadership of the political wing abroad that the organization's written answer that will be delivered to the Qatari and Egyptian mediators will be "in a positive direction" but "will include the introduction of new key points on the agreement framework, and will explicitly state the cessation of hostilities clause regardless of whether it is at the beginning the transaction or in the end."
There have been previous reports by Israel that it believes that Hamas's response to the deal has been delayed due to differences of opinion between the leadership of Hamas in Gaza and the leadership of Hamas abroad.
Israel has also stated that it expects Hamas to hinge the agreement on conditions such as naming specific terrorists and significantly extending the ceasefire.
A senior official in Hamas denied that the terror organization had rejected the hostage and ceasefire proposal set forth in Paris last week, Al Jazeera reported on Sunday evening.The official claimed that the earlier report claiming that Hamas was set to reject the deal was incorrect.