By Said Amouri
JERUSALEM (AA) – Israeli officials are pessimistic about a possible Gaza cease-fire deal with Hamas, local media reported Thursday.
Israeli public broadcaster KAN, citing Israeli officials, said Hamas is expected to demand changes to a proposed outline for a cease-fire and prisoner swap with Israel.
“This will make it difficult to achieve a breakthrough in the negotiations,” KAN said.
On Wednesday, three sons and four grandchildren of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh were killed in an Israeli airstrike in the Al-Shati refugee camp near Gaza City.
The attack came as Hamas was studying Israel’s response to a proposed cease-fire deal in Gaza following a new round of indirect talks between the two sides in Egypt.
The Israeli army has pounded the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7 cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas which killed nearly 1,200 people.
The war has killed more than 33,500 Palestinians and injured over 76,000 others, causing mass destruction and displacement.
Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which has ordered it to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.