Qatari negotiators have told Israeli government officials that Hamas “agrees in principle” to the terms of a second hostage exchange and ceasefire. This was reported by Israeli media late Friday.

The proposed deal includes the exchange of 40 Israeli hostages held by Hamas since the Israel-Hamas war began in October for an unknown number of Palestinian prisoners in Israel, as well as a one- to two-week halt in fighting.

Citing reports in Hebrew, The Times of Israel quotes An Israeli official called the agreement a positive development.

“We are moving from a standstill to a situation that is very cold,” he said.

A second official described the negotiations as not yet concrete, adding that Israel was still waiting for details for a final negotiation.

More from The Hill

Negotiations between the two sides, with Qatar as mediator, have been going on for weeks since then last week ceasefire agreement Last month, about 100 Israeli hostages were released from Hamas captivity in exchange for about 240 Palestinians imprisoned in Israel.

This agreement was praised by the international community, which urged Israel to halt or slow its military operations in Gaza, citing the rising civilian death toll and the ongoing humanitarian crisis.

Hamas officials previously said the militant group was not interested in another short-term deal, although Qatar’s embassy appears to contradict this claim.

President Biden met with the leader of Qatar Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani discussed a possible second agreement and further negotiations with Hamas on Tuesday. Qatar, a long-time U.S. ally with good relations with Hamas, did so become the key on the diplomatic strategy of the USA during the war.

The Egyptian government proposed a similar peace plan to end the fighting more permanently this week, which also includes exchanging hostages for prisoners Neither Hamas nor Israel seemed eager to do so accept this proposal.

Earlier this week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said committed to continuing the fight in conflict, go against advice by the US government to reduce military operations.

“We are expanding the fight in the coming days and it will be a long fight and it is far from over,” he said on Monday.

The October 7 Hamas attack that started the war killed about 1,200 Israelis and led to about 200 more being taken hostage by Hamas. According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, over 21,000 Palestinians have died in the war since then, most of them women and children.

Months of air strikes and a grueling Israeli ground offensive have leveled most of the Gaza Strip and wiped out nearly all of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million be displaced According to the United Nations, they are dependent on humanitarian aid.

The Israeli military carried out two more attacks about the refugee camps in Gaza City early Saturday taken on Thursday that dozens of civilians were killed in two similar attacks on Christmas Eve.