Protests in Tel Aviv and squabbling in Israeli war cabinet amid ceasefire talks with Hamas

A flurry of protests and conflicting high-level information arrived this weekend amid news reports that Israel and Hamas were nearing a ceasefire agreement, a long-sought goal that could end the seven-month conflict that’s cost more than 34,000 lives.

Going into the weekend, news reports quoting anonymous sources close to the ongoing ceasefire negotiations in Egypt suggested a compromise could be coming.

Outlets in Saudi Arabia, Israel, and Palestine suggested that Hamas was close to agreeing on a multi-stage hostage swap deal that would coincide with temporary pauses in fighting, culminating in an enduring ceasefire with US-backed assurances that Israel would withdraw its troops from Gaza.

Hamas, for its part, said a delegation was heading to Cairo for continued talks on Saturday with a “positive spirit” and determination to “secure an agreement in a way that fulfills Palestinians’ demands," although it also suggested various provisions on the table needed more work to “mature.”

At the same time, a high-level Israeli source told various outlets that the country was preparing its offensive in the southern Gazan city of Rafah regardless of any potential deal, and that the release of hostages wouldn’t become a bargaining chip to end the war.

“Israel will under no circumstances agree to end the war as part of an agreement to free our abductees,” the official said, the Times of Israel reports.

“The IDF will enter Rafah and destroy the remaining Hamas battalions there — whether there is a temporary pause to free our captives or not,” the official added.

Adding a further layer of intrigue, other top Israeli officials suggested this unnamed source did not represent the agreed view of the country’s war cabinet, while media