Rising Hopes - Could Latest Ceasefire Talks Yield A Breakthrough?

There has been a recent flurry of activity around the talks, with an uptick of optimism about progress.

- Peter Beaumont

What is happening with ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas?

According to Barak Ravid of the news site Axios, the Israeli proposal is for a potential deal with Hamas for a ceasefire in exchange for the release of hostages and talks over the "restoration of sustainable calm" in Gaza.

Hamas has also broadcast several proof-of-life videos of hostages who may be expected to be exchanged at some point during a deal, which could increase domestic political pressure on Israel where the hostages' return is a potent issue.

The language is instructive. "Sustainable calm" suggests a solution somewhat short of the "total victory" repeatedly touted by the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, who has vowed to dismantle Hamas.

It also mirrors a suggestion for a truce from a senior Hamas official, Khalil al-Hayya, last week who floated the idea of a hudna, a word used in Islamic jurisprudence to describe a long-term truce or "calm".

However, the messaging coming out of the talks has been very contradictory. While the Qataris, who represent one mediation route, have talked publicly about their frustration over stalled talks, there has been more recent activity around Egyptian-Israeli talks - a forum that has delivered ceasefires in previous conflicts.