Despite the hostage and ceasefire deal seemingly grinding to a halt due to disagreements between the parties, which the mediators seemingly cannot resolve, a secret alternative plan was being developed that could see all the hostages released and Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in exile, Israel media reported on Thursday morning.

According to sources, US officials believe that a phased deal "doesn't work" and are considering different options. The leading alternative plan suggests combining all the stages into one single step. In Israel and the US, there’s a growing belief that skipping the intermediate stage is necessary because the current negotiations are not succeeding.

The new suggested proposal is for a single, comprehensive deal where all hostages, whether alive or dead, are returned to Israel at once, terrorists are released from Israeli prisons, and the mediators commit to disarming Gaza and moving Hamas leaders to a third country.