A potential breakthrough in hostage negotiations could be reached as early as next week, following a significant Israeli shift in its military withdrawal plans from Gaza, according to Arab and Western officials involved in the talks.

Two sources familiar with the mediation efforts told The Times of Israel that Israel has submitted revised maps outlining a more limited military presence during the proposed 60-day truce, pulling back from previous demands to retain control over major sections of southern Gaza.

In a key reversal, Israel has agreed to withdraw from the 12-kilometer-long Morag Corridor between Rafah and Khan Younis — a stretch it had insisted on holding to maintain a five-kilometer buffer zone from the Egyptian border. The new maps reduce the proposed buffer to just over one kilometer, effectively abandoning plans to use the area as a “humanitarian city” where Gazans would be screened and potentially barred from leaving.

Israel also scaled down its proposed military perimeter around the rest of Gaza from two to three kilometers to just one. The updated maps were shared with Hamas this week after initial versions were corrected for technical errors. Hamas has begun internal deliberations and is expected to return with minor reservations that are not likely to derail the deal, the sources said.

The United States has reportedly sent a message through mediators warning Hamas of consequences if negotiations are unnecessarily prolonged. According to one mediator, the more contentious elements of the talks — including Israel’s troop redeployment and Hamas’s ceasefire demands — are close to being resolved.

One former obstacle, the delivery of humanitarian aid, appears to have been partially addressed. Israel’s redeployment would move troops out of many of the central and southern zones where the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) has operated. While the GHF was intended to bypass Hamas in distributing aid, critics say it funneled supplies through a small number of militarized sites, making access dangerous and inefficient for civilians.

Israeli and Egyptian officials are now reportedly holding separate talks in Cairo to devise a new aid delivery mechanism through Egypt that prevents Hamas from diverting supplies.

In a further sign of progress, Hamas has lifted its veto on discussing the hostage-prisoner exchange and agreed to negotiate the release ratios. Under the current proposal, 10 living hostages and 18 slain captives would be released in five waves over the two-month ceasefire.

In return, Israel would release a combination of Palestinian prisoners, including individuals serving life sentences and detainees arrested in Gaza since October 7 — many of whom have yet to be charged. While Hamas is expected to request the release of high-profile prisoners like Marwan Barghouti and Ahmad Saadat, Israeli officials are likely to veto those requests and defer them to the next phase of negotiations, which would coincide with talks over a permanent ceasefire.

Negotiators believe a final breakthrough may not occur until closer to July 27, when the Knesset begins its three-month recess, effectively reducing the threat from hardline coalition partners who oppose the deal. Far-right ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir have publicly criticized the proposal, warning it would reverse the IDF’s recent gains on the battlefield.

The IDF, however, has framed its ground advances as leverage to pressure Hamas into releasing hostages — a goal that now appears to be within reach.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened his security cabinet Thursday night to review the status of the talks. Meanwhile, Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani — who discussed the deal with President Donald Trump during a dinner at the White House on Wednesday — is expected to meet Hamas leaders in Doha on Saturday.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)