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 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 apparent impasse came during a roughly hourlong conversation between the leaders on Thursday morning.
The apparent impasse came during a roughly hourlong conversation between the leaders on Thursday morning.
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.
As a cease-fire held for a second day, people in both countries were still haunted by the terrifying moments of a brief but intense war.