Israel is ready to reduce its demand for Hamas to release 40 hostages in exchange for a temporary ceasefire in Gaza after the Palestinian movement refused an offer prepared by Qatari, Egyptian and US negotiators, The Times of Israel newspaper writes, Paralel.Az reports.

According to the paper, Israel is now willing to accept the release of just 20 hostages in the first phase of the deal as long as those released are women, men over 50 years old and those seriously ill. The earlier proposal included the release of 40 hostages in those categories, but Hamas said it did not hold that many hostages in those categories who were still alive.

Meanwhile, Israel’s war cabinet on Thursday authorized the country’s negotiating team to discuss a more flexible approach with the Egyptian delegation that will arrive in Tel Aviv on Friday for additional talks, the Times of Israel added.