Tel Aviv / PNN /

Israel’s Yedioth Ahronoth reported on Tuesday that senior Israeli officials involved in the ongoing negotiations, along with a high-ranking official from one of the mediating countries, remain optimistic about the possibility of reaching a partial agreement soon, based on the so-called “Witkoff proposal.”

The newspaper noted that part of the talks is taking place on the Italian island of Sardinia, where a series of meetings has been held between senior representatives from Qatar, Israel, and the United States.

Although Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani has left the island, high-level discussions between the parties are reportedly continuing.

Citing a well-informed Israeli source, Yedioth Ahronoth revealed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is “looking for a pretext or evidence of a Hamas violation of a ceasefire, in order to justify an Israeli breach of the agreement.”

The source also stated that Netanyahu is insisting on reaching only a partial deal and is not currently showing any intention to end the war on Gaza at this stage.