The Hamas movement revealed that its political bureau head, Ismail Haniyeh, held several phonecalls with mediators in Egypt and Qatar over the past few hours, to discuss an agreement that would halt the Israeli aggression against Gaza. 

In a statement issued on Wednesday evening, Hamas affirmed that it was dealing positively with the ongoing deliberations, noting that Haniyeh also contacted officials in Turkey regarding the latest developments. 

The Mossad announced that mediators Qatar and Egypt have conveyed Hamas' updated response to the proposed hostage and ceasefire deal to the Israeli negotiation team, Israeli journalist Barak Ravid reported Wednesday, adding that "Israel" was currently examining the response and would provide its answer to the mediators soon.

A senior Israeli official stated that the response from Hamas was constructive and could potentially pave the way for detailed negotiations on the remaining issues, Ravid added.

According to the Israeli journalist citing the official, although there has been important progress, significant challenges remain. He further noted that any detailed negotiations would be tough and lengthy, potentially taking several weeks to reach an agreement.

The Israeli negotiation team is expected to hold discussions over the next few days with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Security Minister Yoav Gallant to formulate a policy regarding Hamas' response, and said that the policy might see the Israelis heading to Qatar or Egypt to enter more detailed discussions.

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