NBC News International correspondent Matt Bradley is in Tel Aviv
and filed this report.
So it is another round of hostage negotiations that looks
like we're starting to see here.
There's a lot of optimism coming from Washington.
We heard from Washington people in the Biden administration saying
that there was a breakthrough,
that Hamas had softened their position on that same proposal
that the Biden administration had been promoting at the end
of May,
calling it Israel's own proposal.
And that was later enshrined in a United Nations Security
Council resolution that passed last month.
Almost unanimously. Well, now it looks like according to Israeli
authorities and the US and Hamas,
who spoke with Hezbollah today,
Reuters, quoting Hamas, is saying that they actually had already
agreed to this deal.
But I spoke with two Israeli officials this morning.
They said that we should temper our optimism.
And they said specifically that this wasn't a breakthrough,
that this is actually the beginning of a process that
could last for several weeks.
Now, if there is a deal that would be a
massive breakthrough,
it could free those remaining hostages.
In the Gaza Strip, there are thought to be about
120 of them.
Many of them are already thought to have died.
It would also free many Palestinian prisoners who are currently
in Israeli prisons.
Those numbers have yet to be decided.
And it would also, perhaps most crucially to the entire
world who's been watching this situation,
bring a measure of peace to the fighting in the
Gaza Strip.
That remains the main issue.
Hamas has said from the beginning they will not agree
to any hostage negotiation deal that doesn't include a permanent
ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and a full withdrawal.
Of Israeli troops, the Israelis,
particularly led by Benjamin Netanyahu,
the Prime Minister, have said that they will not compromise
on their intention of totally destroying Hamas and its military
capabilities.
They will not leave until Hamas is completely destroyed.
Of course, that's something that Hamas is very unlikely to
sign on to.
But this is the central fulcrum of this disagreement,
and it's one that hasn't wavered ever since the last
time there was a successful deal,
all the way back in November.
So now we've reached a familiar impasse.
There's high expectations on both sides.
And it's going to be up to the Israelis now
to decide whether or not they're going to agree to
the proposal that was just issued by Hamas.
Our thanks to Matt Bradley for that report.