The Israeli government is weighing an unprecedented offer to Hamas – millions in cash and safe passage for captors and their families in exchange for the remaining hostages taken during the October 7 massacre.

According to Channel 12 News, the idea was discussed in Sunday’s security meeting with government hostage envoy Gal Hirsch. However, the Prime Minister’s Office issued a statement Tuesday denying the report, stressing that Netanyahu “has been meeting with the hostage families continuously since the outbreak of the war and considers this to be of great importance.”

Of the 251 people kidnapped during Hamas’s brutal October 7 assault, 97 are still trapped in Gaza, with the IDF confirming 34 deaths. The crisis has sparked near-daily protests across Israel, with families demanding more aggressive action to secure their loved ones’ freedom.

Meanwhile, Hamas has turned down a proposal put forward by Egypt that would have seen a two-day ceasefire declared in Gaza in exchange for four Israeli hostages. David Barnea, the director of Mossad who heads the Israeli negotiations team, reportedly told the families of hostages that the chances of reaching a deal are slim.

“We still haven’t received any response from the mediators, neither for the Qatari proposal nor the Egyptian one, in any official capacity, so it’s best to wait. Right now the chances for a deal are very slim,” he said. “The negotiating team has no mandate from the prime minister to advance a total deal and the end of the war.”

Similarly, Hamas official Taher al-Nunu told AFP that “the idea of a temporary pause in the war, only to resume aggression later, is something we have already expressed our position on. Hamas supports a permanent end to the war, not a temporary one.”