On the Brink: Hostage Talks Teeter as Netanyahu Meets Team in Doha. 

The clock is ticking in Doha, where mediators are turning up the heat on Hamas to tweak its response to a proposed hostage deal and ceasefire, hoping to keep negotiations from stalling yet again. A senior Israeli political source, speaking to *Walla* this morning, cautioned against premature reports of a breakthrough but admitted to “cautious optimism” driven by the mediators’ mood rather than hard facts. Why? Hamas’s official reply hasn’t even reached Israel’s negotiating team yet, according to a new report by Walla.

According to the source, mediators, likely including Qatari and Egyptian officials, have already received Hamas’s position from its representatives in Doha but are holding off on passing it to Israel. Instead, they’re working overtime to refine the response, aiming to make it a viable foundation for progress. “Israel might get a ‘yes, but’ kind of answer,” the source speculated, hinting at a conditional acceptance that could keep talks alive but complicated.

Last night, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu huddled with Israel’s negotiating team in Doha to assess the situation. Meanwhile, U.S. sources revealed that tomorrow, President Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, will meet Israeli Minister Ron Dermer in Rome. Their agenda? The hostage and ceasefire talks, alongside regional flashpoints like Iran’s nuclear ambitions and developments in Syria. With families of hostages rallying outside the Kirya military headquarters, the pressure is palpable, and every hour feels like a tightrope walk toward hope or heartbreak.