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The militant group's conditional endorsement of the US president's Gaza ceasefire deal on Friday has been met with worldwide approval and is the closest Israel and Hamas have come over the past 24 months to ending the fighting within the Gaza Strip.

How Near Is a Deal?

The Palestinian faction's partial support of the US proposal marks the nearest mediators have reached over the last several months toward a full conclusion of the conflict in Gaza. However, they remain far off from an agreement.

The US president's twenty-point plan to stop the conflict requires for Hamas release every captive in three days, surrender ruling power to a cross-border authority headed by Donald Trump, and lay down its weapons. In return, Israeli forces would slowly withdraw its troops from Gaza and return over 1,000 inmates.

This agreement would also bring an increase of relief supplies to Gaza, parts of which are facing famine, and rebuilding money to Gaza, that has been nearly completely destroyed.

The organization gave consent to three points: the freeing of all hostages, the surrendering of control and the pullout of Israeli forces from Gaza. Hamas said the rest of the agreement must be negotiated together with other Palestinian parties, as it is a component of a joint national approach.

In practice, this implies Hamas wants additional talks on the contentious elements of the US plan, particularly the demand for its disarmament, and a definite timetable regarding Israeli troop pullout.

Where and When Will Negotiations Occur?

Representatives have flown to the Egyptian capital to hammer out specifics to bridge the differences between Israel and Hamas.

Discussions will start on Monday and it is anticipated to yield outcomes within a few days, regardless of the outcome.

The US president shared a picture of a chart showing Gaza last Saturday evening that showed the boundary up to which Israeli troops ought to pull back and said that if Hamas agreed to it, that the ceasefire would begin right away. The US president is eager to stop the war as it approaches to its two year mark and before the Nobel committee declares the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize on 10 October, an issue that is an extensively reported obsession for him.

Benjamin Netanyahu said a deal to bring Israeli captives home should preferably take place soon.

Which Differences Remain?

Both Hamas and Israel have been cautious their bets entering negotiations.

Hamas has repeatedly declined to give up its weapons during previous talks. It has given no indication whether its stance has shifted on this, even as it principally agrees to Trump’s plan, with qualifications. The US and Israel have emphasized that there is little wiggle room on the disarmament issue and are resolved to pin Hamas down with binding language in any agreement moving forward.

The militant faction additionally stated it accepted handing over power in Gaza to an expert-led governing force, as specified in the US proposal. However, in a statement, Hamas clarified it would accept a Gaza-based technocratic governing body, rather than the global authority proposed by Trump in its plan.

Israel has also sought to keep the issue regarding its military pullout vague. Only a few hours after announcing Trump’s plan in a joint press conference in Washington last week, the prime minister published a recording reassuring the Israeli public that soldiers would stay across much of Gaza.

On Saturday night, Netanyahu again repeated that forces would remain inside Gaza, stating that captives would be released as the Israeli military would remain within Gaza's interior.

Netanyahu’s position appears to conflict against the stipulation in Trump’s plan that Israeli forces fully withdraw from Gaza. The group will demand reassurances that Israel will completely leave and that if the group gives up its weapons, Israeli forces will not return to the strip.

Mediators will have to close these differences, securing clear, strict language on disarmament from Hamas. They must also show to Hamas that the Israeli government will genuinely pull out from Gaza and that there are international guarantees that will compel the Israeli state to adhere with the conditions of the deal.

The disagreements could be reconciled, and the US will certainly push the two sides to achieve an agreement. Nevertheless, negotiations have come near to a deal before suddenly collapsing multiple times over the last 24 months, making both sides wary of declaring victory prior to a formal agreement.