There is a lot of pressure to make a new agreement to stop the fighting and let the hostages go, so that the people in Gaza and the remaining hostages in Israel can feel better.
So far, Qatar and Egypt have been trying to help with negotiations, but with no success so far, even with US help.
Recently, there have been more reports indicating that important progress is being made in talks between representatives from Israel and Hamas.
On Wednesday, some Israeli officials said there is a big difference on important matters.
Based on what the media found out, the biggest problem seems to be the major disagreements on how to stop the war completely.
A high-ranking Palestinian official who knows about current discussions told us that Cairo has given Hamas officials a plan with five steps.
It is said that a ceasefire will begin, and during this time, Hamas will let go of the rest of the people it is keeping captive, like women, kids, and old people.
In return, some Palestinians would be released from Israeli prisons and more much-needed help would go to Gaza.
At last, there would be a long-lasting agreement to stop fighting completely.
Our source said that if the rest of the Israeli hostages are released, more Palestinian prisoners will also be let out of prison.
It seems like they want to free some important Palestinian prisoners in return for the Israeli soldiers who are being held captive.
The Palestinian leader said that Israel wanted to keep its soldiers in place until the very end of the process.
Hamas wants Israeli troops to leave and for people to go back to their homes soon.
Other news from around the world says that Hamas wants the fighting to stop completely, but Israel is only willing to agree to a temporary break that could last for a few weeks and might be extended depending on how things change.
At a meeting on Tuesday, Majed al-Ansari, who speaks for Qatar’s foreign ministry, said that they have given some ideas to both sides and are getting responses. This makes them feel hopeful.
Later, a person from the White House named John Kirby said that the US envoy to the Middle East, Brett McGurk, was in Cairo and would keep having important talks in the area about a new agreement to bring back hostages and make sure there is a break for humanitarian help.
“Mr Kirby told reporters that the conversations are very solemn and serious. ”
In late November, there was a ceasefire for a week. During this time, 105 Israeli and foreign hostages were set free. They had been kidnapped in the Hamas attacks on 7 October, which caused the war in Gaza. More than 250 people had been kidnapped in these attacks.
Israel and Hamas are upset with each other for not agreeing to continue releasing hostages every day in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. They are blaming each other for breaking the truce.
Now, there are big differences between what is said publicly and what can be talked about in negotiations.
This week, the leader of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, said again that only “complete victory” in Gaza is acceptable.
Many people think it’s not realistic to completely destroy Hamas, the group that has been in charge of the area for 15 years.
Israel and its Western allies don’t want to give in on the idea that Hamas leaders need to be taken out of power in Gaza. They want to make sure there are no more attacks like the one three months ago that killed over 1,300 people.
This week, there were reports in the news that Israel might be willing to let important Hamas leaders in Gaza move to other countries as part of a deal to stop fighting and free hostages. However, these reports have not been confirmed. Hamas said it didn’t agree to that idea.
Over 25,000 people have been killed in Gaza, and there’s a big problem with people’s health. Many countries are asking Israel to stop fighting, and it’s getting harder for them to ignore.
At the same time, loud protests and gatherings by the families of Israeli hostages are making sure that their request to bring their loved ones back home is a top priority in the country’s politics. They have a lot of people feeling sorry for them.
The recent news from Israel saying that talks with Hamas about exchanging hostages are not making progress will make a lot of people worried.
Unidentified diplomats spoke to Israeli media and said that reports of good news are not true. They say Hamas didn’t agree to make a compromise.
With people trying to help, the best thing is that Israel and Hamas have not said they will stop talking yet.