Israeli anti-government protesters stage a four-day sit-in near the parliament in Jerusalem on April 2, 2024, calling for the dissolution of the government and the return of Israelis held hostage in Gaza. (Credit: Ahmad Gharabli/AFP)
Israeli negotiators returned from Cairo Tuesday having left behind a new draft proposal for Hamas to read, regarding the Gaza truce and hostage exchange, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office announced.
“During the negotiations, with the effective mediation of Egypt, the mediators put together an updated proposal for Hamas to address,” says the statement, cited by Times of Israel.
“Israel expects the mediators to act more forcefully against Hamas to move the negotiations forward toward a deal.”
The wording of the message, which praised Egypt and hinted that Qatar’s approach is too lax, reflects frustration expressed to Times of Israel by Israeli officials who accuse Qatar of being unwilling to pressure Hamas to move toward a compromise that favors Israel’s demands.
The delegation's return comes as Israel is experiencing the largest anti-government protests since Oct. 7. Protestors gathered in the tens of thousands calling for Netanyahu's government to step down and for a cease-fire to be implemented in order to facilitate the return of hostages.
The mid-level negotiating team was made up of Mossad, Shin Bet, and Israeli army officials and had arrived in Israel on Sunday. On that same day, Osama Hamdan, Hamas’ representative in Lebanon, told Al Jazeera in an interview that the group was standing by the demands it has been making since negotiations were reopened following the collapse of the first truce. Hamdan accused the Israeli delegations of “not providing any commitment in its responses,” and giving answers that were an “attempt to procrastinate.”