Israel currently has no intention of sending a delegation to Qatar or Egypt for negotiations on a hostage deal, an Israeli official told The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday. “A delegation will be dispatched once the conditions are right. We are always prepared to deploy it on short notice, but those conditions have not yet materialized,” the official said.
As previously reported by the Post, Egypt has requested that Israel send a delegation to Cairo, but at this stage, no such mission is expected to take place. Meanwhile, high-level talks are underway in Cairo between senior Egyptian officials, Steve Witkoff representative Bishara Bahbah, and senior Hamas representatives who arrived in the Egyptian capital to discuss a potential hostage agreement.
While US President Donald Trump is pushing for a comprehensive deal that would end the war, Israeli officials say that, for now, discussions are centered on the Witkoff framework – a proposal involving the release of 10 hostages in exchange for a 60-day ceasefire.
During that period, broader terms for ending the war would be negotiated, with each side presenting its conditions.
“Right now, Hamas is rejecting even the Witkoff framework, so reaching an agreement on ending the war seems even more challenging,” an Israeli source told the Post.
Did US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities help move forward hostage negotiations?
Speaking at the NATO summit on Wednesday, the US president said that the recent strike in Iran would help advance efforts to free the hostages held in Gaza. A source familiar with the matter agreed with that assessment, saying, “The dispute between Trump and Netanyahu on Tuesday – after Iran launched a missile and whether or not to respond – made Hamas realize that when Trump gives guarantees, he means it.”
Commenting on the president’s statement that “We’re close to a deal,” the Israeli official acknowledged that while there has been some progress and technically a deal is within reach, the central issue remains unresolved: what will happen on day 60, once the ceasefire period ends?
“That is not an easy issue to resolve,” the source noted.
An Israeli official told the Post that Israel hopes the dynamics that led to the January 2025 deal might repeat themselves.
“Back then, Sinwar and Nasrallah were eliminated, Hezbollah was defeated, and the Syrian army was destroyed – those factors helped bring Hamas to the negotiating table,” the source said.
“Now, with Iran having suffered a severe blow, Muhammad Sinwar eliminated, and IRGC Mostafa Izadi killed in recent days, there’s potential for momentum. We are working and hoping this will pave the way to a deal for the hostages’ return.”