A senior Israeli official told Ynet on Saturday that there has been "significant progress" in talks for a hostage deal, with its main details currently kept under the radar to avoid political interference that could derail it.
"The heads of Mossad and Shin Bet reported to the Cabinet that Hamas has shown a willingness to reach a deal that wasn’t there before, and the assessment is that an agreement could be reached within a few weeks," according to the official.
The official attributed the shift in Hamas’ stance to "the blows they’ve suffered" and the impending inauguration of Donald Trump as U.S. president next month.
"If Netanyahu presents a reasonable deal, he will have a majority in the government and Cabinet, even if [Itamar] Ben-Gvir and [Bezalel] Smotrich oppose it," the official added.