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JERUSALEM — Mediators expressed hope Monday, once again, that Israel and Hamas were inching toward an agreement to halt fighting in Gaza and release dozens of Israeli hostages — a last, best chance to prevent a return to full-scale war.
The signs of optimism came after Israel presented terms to negotiators last week that softened its position and “broke new ground,” according to an Israeli official familiar with the deliberations. “There is hope,” a Hamas official in Turkey told The Washington Post, but he cautioned that key points require clarification. Like others quoted in this report, the officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive and ongoing diplomacy.
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