The official body quoted an unnamed Israeli official as saying, "The cabinet decided to give negotiations a chance before taking any new escalatory steps."
The official claimed that "there is currently pressure being exerted on Hamas by several international parties to accept US mediator Steve Witkoff's proposal to reach a prisoner exchange deal and a long-term ceasefire," he said.
The official's remarks come despite Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya's announcement days ago that the movement was ready to immediately begin negotiations on a "comprehensive package" to release Israeli prisoners in one go, in exchange for ending the genocide and a full withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, Tel Aviv has shown intransigence regarding engaging in negotiations.
The cabinet made the decision, revealed by the Israeli Broadcasting Authority, during a meeting held Tuesday evening to decide the future of the genocide Tel Aviv has been perpetrating in the Gaza Strip for more than a year and a half.
The meeting was held amid divergent views among the ministers, with some calling for a comprehensive war and military escalation, and others supporting a gradual escalation to improve the terms of negotiations with Hamas and recover the Israeli prisoners from the Gaza Strip, according to the same source.