Egyptian security sources have said Egyptian and Qatari mediators were working to secure US and international guarantees that talks on ending the Gaza conflict would continue as a way of convincing Hamas to accept the two-month truce proposal, Reuters reports.

A separate source familiar with the matter said that Israel was expecting Hamas’s response by Friday and that if it was positive, an Israeli delegation would join indirect talks to cement the deal.

The proposal includes the staggered release of 10 living Israeli hostages and the return of the bodies of 18 more in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails, sources say. Of the 50 remaining hostages in Gaza, 20 are believed to still be alive.