It is said that David Barnea, the chief of Israel's espionage organization Mossad, traveled by himself to Doha to meet with Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, the prime minister of Qatar, as excitement over a potential truce and hostage agreement between Israel and Hamas is once again growing.
This seems very much to be a first step in what may turn out to be another convoluted round of talks aimed at ultimately closing the divide between the Israeli government and Hamas on what each considers to be the essential elements of a possible agreement.
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that differences still existed between the two parties after Mr. Barnea left Doha. Officials from Israel had already stated that lower expectations were necessary.
President Biden's three-phase approach was met with a response from Hamas, which gave rise to the most recent glimmer of optimism for a resolution.
The secret to that formulation was delaying what for a long time seemed to be the primary barrier to either party agreeing to a deal: Israel's counterdemand that it be allowed to restart fighting in Gaza if required, and Hamas' demand that there be a permanent truce.
The details of what Hamas has offered are still under wraps. However, compared to earlier times in the last seven months when the process has picked up steam, the Israeli response seems to be much more encouraging. According to a source in Israel's negotiation team, there was a "very significant breakthrough" in the Hamas plan.
There are hints that this might be because Hamas has agreed to the main component of President Biden's proposal, which is that instead of demanding the ceasefire as the first step in the negotiations, it would permit talks to reach their objective of a permanent end to the war during the first six weeks of the ceasefire.
Throughout, Hamas has resisted being portrayed by the US, in particular, as the primary obstacle to reaching an agreement. If it turns out that Iran has made this compromise, Mr. Netanyahu would be squarely back in the driver's seat.
He has never once wavered in his public support for Israel's right to keep waging war in Gaza, even after a ceasefire, and for the total destruction of Hamas. He has rejected every attempt to change that position, both inside and outside of Israel.
But the pressure has been relentlessly mounting on him from all directions.
His own military appears to have been the source of the most recent push. According to a recent New York Times report, Israel's senior generals "want to begin a ceasefire in Gaza even if it keeps Hamas in power for the time being," citing anonymous current and former security officials.
Mr. Netanyahu called this a defeatist statement. He might not be able to withstand the strain indefinitely, though, nor the mounting ire of people on Israel's streets who want the last hostages in Gaza to be freed immediately.
There are also indications that Hamas is becoming increasingly depressed about the ongoing conflict among those who live with it on a daily basis—Gaza's civilian populace. Additionally, mediators like Egypt and Qatar may be reaching the end of their patience on a global scale.
As public support for Hamas wanes due to the Gaza War, discontent is growing.
There have also been reports that regional nations that fully support the Palestinian cause are applying more and more pressure to Hamas to agree to a compromise. Its commanders might believe that the group's seeming survival counts for more than just a win, even if it means serious political and military setbacks.
The possibility of an all-out conflict between Israel and Hezbollah has made the necessity for the international community to find a solution to the war much more pressing. Such tensions may possibly subside if there is a truce in Gaza.
Furthermore, a diplomatic victory here would be a much-needed lift for the Biden administration, which is still reeling from the fallout from last week's debate between the president and Donald Trump.
These all point to the possibility that the hopes created this time around would ultimately prove to be more resilient to the unfavorable circumstances that have caused them to be dashed in the past.
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