A high-ranking Israeli negotiator has shed light on the desperate situation faced by scores of hostages currently being held by Hamas in Gaza.

“Dozens are alive with certainty,” the official disclosed to AFP on condition of anonymity. “We cannot leave them there a long time. They will die.”

The battle-hardened negotiator pulled no punches, insisting that Israel cannot agree to permanently end its long-running conflict with Hamas without first securing a deal to free the abused hostages. He expressed grave fears that the Islamist faction could violate its commitments by string out negotiations for “ten years or more” if Israel were to prematurely halt its defensive operations in the coastal enclave.

According to multiple sources close to the negotiations, President Joe Biden’s proposed ceasefire entails a graduated release of living Israeli hostages, alongside an initial withdrawal of Israeli forces from designated areas of Gaza.

The second phase aims to cement a durable ceasefire, complete the total pullout of Israeli troops, and secure the freedom of hundreds of violent Arab prisoners sitting in Israeli jails.

Finally, the third phase envisions the reconstruction and rebuilding of areas in Gaza that were damaged during the war. It would also see the return of deceased hostages back to Israel.

While the Israeli negotiating team has allegedly signed off on Biden’s roadmap, the official warned that a failure to hammer out a deal soon would not deter the IDF from its mission to crush the Iranian-backed jihadist organization.

“If we can’t strike a deal with Hamas, the IDF will press on with its campaign in Gaza, waging war with undiminished ferocity,” he cautioned. “The tactics may change, but the intensity will remain.”

Hamas for its part has rejected Biden’s ceasefire proposal and demands more concessions from Israel.