American-Palestinian mediator Bishara Bahbah told Walla that Hamas's recent agreement to Trump's Gaza deal “could indeed mark the end of the war and the release of all the hostages," in an interview released on Saturday.
“I truly believe that good things are happening now," he added.
“I can see before my eyes the end of the war and the release of all the hostages,” he said, emphasizing the sense of progress.
Bahbah also told Al Arabiya on Friday that mediators have already begun discussions with Hamas to reach an agreement on the disputed areas of the deal, and Trump's speedy response to Hamas confirms he likely did not consult with Netanyahu.
In a Friday night statement, Trump said that he believed that the deal was in the final stages.
Palestinian mediator expresses optimism at Trump deal
"This is a big day, we'll see how it all turns out; We have to get the final word down," he said.
"This is a very special day, unprecedented in many ways. Everybody was unified in wanting this war to end and seeing peace in the Middle East, and we are very close to achieving that."
“There is cautious optimism,” a source close to US envoy Steve Witkoff’s team told Walla.
In his initial reaction to Hamas's response, Trump called on Israel to stop bombing Gaza "immediately" so that the hostages can be released quickly.
One senior Israeli official noted that Netanyahu was visibly surprised by Trump’s directness — despite receiving a similar message from the former president just days earlier.
Netanyahu called a meeting of his cabinet last night, without Ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich. In it, he told his advisers that he viewed Hamas's response as a rejection. However, N12 reported that negotiators viewed it more positively and believed it could provide the avenue for a deal.
A separate political source told N12 News that Jerusalem believed the terms of the deal were final.
"There is full cooperation and coordination with the US, also regarding the timetable. We have passed the negotiation stage," a political source told N12.
The source added that Israel will not conduct renewed negotiations on the proposal, which Jerusalem considers to be final.
"Despite reports about the plan that talks about releasing all the hostages, I believe we will see a gradual move here...This is the American insistence on releasing all the hostages together," a source involved in the negotiations told N12.