Israel, Hamas, and the mediators have “aligned around” US President Donald Trump’s 20-point framework to end the Gaza war and bring the remaining captives home, a senior Israeli diplomatic figure involved in the talks in Sharm el-Sheikh told The Jerusalem Post on Thursday.
The official described a shared mechanism and “good spirit” in the room.
“This is the best position we could be in,” the official said. “If Hamas returns the living and the bodies, the IDF will still be deployed inside Gaza, and the world will be with us. That gives Israel leverage.”
The plan envisions the release of all remaining living hostages within days after signing, followed by the transfer of remains under an agreed mechanism and a phased Israel Defense Forces redeployment to predesignated lines inside Gaza.
'Phase one is hostages home'
The official said the sequencing is clear. “Phase one is hostages home. Phase two is measurable steps toward demilitarization. If they start turning in weapons, we proceed. If not, we do not move forward.”
Hamas has resisted explicit “demilitarization” language, which the official said is difficult for the group to sell to its public. Reports from The Post in recent days have noted that the plan’s middle chapters hinge on disarmament benchmarks and enforcement that will test all sides.
On prisoners, Israel has drawn firm red lines. Jerusalem will not release members of Hamas’s Nukhba force involved in the October 7 massacre, and four of the most prominent Palestinian prisoners long sought by Hamas are excluded from the current framework, according to Israeli officials.
The negotiator credited persistent Israeli messaging and growing regional pressure on Hamas for the current momentum. Trump’s direct involvement has pulled Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey into a single corridor for a potential ceasefire-hostage package, with US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff joining talks in Sharm el-Sheikh this week.
“The Arab world is pressing Hamas now. That is the change,” the official said.
He also addressed concerns that last month’s Israeli strike in Doha — and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s subsequent apology to Qatar — would derail mediation.
“Many said it would blow up the channel. In practice, pressure on Hamas increased,” he said. Netanyahu acknowledged Israel violated Qatari sovereignty and pledged no repeat attacks, a move his office later insisted was drafted solely by his team after a US media report claimed otherwise.
Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, who has headed the hostage track since February, remains central to the process despite political criticism at home, the official added. In recent weeks, Dermer has been cited in multiple JPost reports as directing the delegation as it prepared for a first-stage implementation of the 20-point plan.
As for timing, the negotiator said first releases could begin “as early as Sunday or Monday,” cautioning that once the IDF reaches its staging line, the clock to lock in the new posture is expected to run about 72 hours, in line with the plan’s outline. “Limbo is dangerous for our forces,” he noted. Arab media and Israeli sources have similarly pointed to a 72-hour window tied to the release of the 20 living hostages.
Public sentiment appears to support the package, although doubts remain about its implementation. A recent survey reported by The Post found strong Israeli support for the proposal, alongside skepticism about its full implementation.
“The deal will not give Israel everything it wants,” the official said. “But first, bring them home. Everything else follows.”