With the truce negotiations between Israel and Hamas to be in progress, the comments by joe biden they exuded optimism that the two sides are likely to be very close to reaching an agreementwith Hamas however characterizing the American president’s assessments as “premature”.

Particularly, a Hamas official cited by Reuters said they still exist “big gaps to be bridged”.

His publication reflects the same mood Sky Newswhich a Hamas official says they have not yet received “formal proposal” following the latest talks in Paris on a “comprehensive” ceasefire.

The official, in fact, added that Hamas has conveyed to mediators that it will not accept Netanyahu’s attempts to “manipulate the negotiations to gain more time to implement his plans, especially a war of hunger against the Palestinian people, and that the negotiation process will not have an unlimited time.”

In its analysis of the progress of the negotiations, Sky News reports that this is the first time, however, that we have learned details of the latest hostage deal proposalthe one agreed in Paris last Friday, which points to a more optimistic scenario for its outcome.

Regarding the ceasefire plan, Reuters reports that it expects 40 Israeli hostages to be freed in the first stage within 40 days which will include women, prisoners under 19, people over 50 and the sick.

In exchange, Israel will release 400 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli prisonsincluding some high-profile figures on the agreement that they would not be arrested again.

The 10:1 ratio is much higher than the November dealwhich freed three Palestinian prisoners for every Israeli hostage, which would be seen as a victory for Hamas in the West Bank, say members of the right-wing Israeli opposition who resent the deal.

In addition to the release of hostages, five hundred humanitarian aid trucks will be allowed to enter Gaza dailya number much higher than in previous months and similar to the amount of aid Gaza received before the war.

US President Joe Biden’s proposal last night that a deal could be reached by next Monday reflects efforts to reach an agreement before the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan around March 10.

Many obstacles remain however as Hamas has yet to announce its assessment of the proposal and may oppose it. It appears that reaching Hamas leadership officials in Gaza itself is becoming increasingly difficult as Israel’s military operation has forced them to hide underground and be out of contact.

Although no doubt there will be intense diplomatic efforts during any ceasefire to secure a long-term or even permanent ceasefire, it remains highly unlikely that a truce in the coming weeks, if it happens, will signal an end to the fighting.