On Monday, an Egyptian high-level source affirmed that Egypt sees no need to waste time in reaching a comprehensive deal between Israel and Hamas, according to Extra News TV channel.

On the same day, the Israeli news website Walla said in a report that the first phase of the Egyptian proposal includes a swap of captives and prisoners for a ceasefire lasting several days.

Defence Minister Yoav Gallant and Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi welcomed the proposal submitted to the Israeli Security Cabinet, according to Walla.

However, the report said the proposal, which comes within efforts to break the current deadlock, faced opposition from National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.

Despite the differing opinions, discussions during the security cabinet meeting were reportedly preliminary, yielding no decisions or votes.

Hamas' position remains uncertain on this "limited deal." 

Nevertheless, Hamas has previously agreed on the implementation of a truce plan laid out by Biden on 31 May and later endorsed by the UN Security Council.

At the time, the US president described this plan as a three-phase "roadmap to an enduring ceasefire and the release of all hostages."

Though Biden called it an Israeli proposal, Netanyahu added new demands to the deal a few days after Hamas' approval, including lasting Israeli control over the Philadelphi and the Netzarim corridors.

Hence, the agreement faltered as Hamas insisted on rejecting any new demands or conditions imposed by any party.

Meanwhile, an Israeli official, quoted by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, emphasized on Monday that for the negotiations to progress, Israel needs to demonstrate more flexibility in its positions.

"There should be flexibility in Israel's stance in order to enter negotiations. For example, withdrawing from the Philadelphi Corridor," the Israeli official said.

He further stressed that without such flexibility, no progress will be made in negotiations, adding that he does not think Hamas will soften its stance now.

The official indicated that Hamas, despite its leadership transition following the death of Yahya Sinwar, remains firm in its stance and may even take a harder line in future talks.

He affirmed that the instructions for the Israeli security establishment remain unchanged, which emphasizes the need to put pressure on Hamas to start negotiations and to maintain that the “military success” should be leveraged to "facilitate a deal."

Israeli media analyses suggest that discussions on the prisoner exchange and the "limited deal" may face further delays, as Israel could be prioritizing a response to the Iranian recent strike.

Egypt, along with the US and Qatar, has been mediating indirect talks between Israel and Hamas to reach a ceasefire deal during the more-than-one-year Israeli war in Gaza.

Since October 2023, Israel has killed and injured over 140,000 Palestinians, mostly children and women, damaged most of Gaza’s infrastructure, and displaced the majority of the population.