We are close to announcing an agreement and a prisoner exchange,” said a source claiming to be familiar with the negotiations, “but this hinges on Israel’s awaited response.

Israel says Hamas has not provided any information about the status of those 34 hostages, dampening any notion that the endorsement is a step toward a deal to stop the war.

The Israeli military this week found and recovered the remains of Youssef Ziyadne, just days after his name appeared on a Hamas list of hostages to be released.

The protest comes on the same day that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was sending the director of the Mossad foreign intelligence agency to ceasefire talks in Doha. View on euronews