Members of the government are poised to decide whether to proceed with negotiations after Hamas said it had responded positively to the latest truce proposal.
The decision came after Hamas said it had responded positively to an American-backed cease-fire proposal. President Trump says he hopes for a truce as soon as next week.
It is more secure from threats than at any time since its founding. But the war in Gaza, and attacks on Iran and Lebanon, have undercut Israel’s standing among the world’s democracies.
It was not immediately clear whether the group was demanding any significant changes to the plan for a 60-day truce, hostage-for-prisoner swaps and talks on a permanent end to the Gaza war.
The rise of Izz al-Din al-Haddad in the chain of command suggests the group will hold firm to its position demanding a total end to the war before releasing all remaining hostages.
Hamas wants to ensure that the latest cease-fire proposal has sufficient guarantees that negotiations will lead to a permanent end to the Gaza war.
The violence last week in Kafr Malik, in the West Bank, comes amid a surge in assaults by Israeli settlers. It also set off a chain of violence in the area.
Hard-right activists clashed with troops and set fire to a security site following a growing wave of attacks on Palestinians in the occupied territory.
Hard-right activists clashed with troops and set fire to a security site following a growing wave of attacks on Palestinians in the occupied territory.
Hundreds of Palestinians have been killed over the past month near aid hubs set up under a new Israel-backed system, according to Gaza health officials.