Israel's political echelon, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has ordered the IDF to prepare for an "immediate" return to fighting in Gaza, KAN News reported on Friday evening.

The Jerusalem Post reported earlier this week that Israeli officials estimated that if no agreement was reached between Israel and Hamas, Israel would return to fighting in Gaza in about a week and a half.

“Hamas is currently rejecting [US Middle East envoy Steve] Witkoff’s proposal, so it is very difficult to make progress,” one official said.

According to the Prime Minister’s Office, Witkoff’s plan involves the release of half of the living hostages and the return of half of the bodies on the first day of the continued deal. The rest of the hostages and bodies would be returned on the 42nd day, which would be the final day of the ceasefire.

However, some claim that the terrorist organization has not rejected the proposal. According to a source familiar with the negotiations, “Hamas has neither accepted nor rejected the Witkoff proposal.”

On his first day as the new IDF chief of staff on Thursday, Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir told heads of local councils from the Gaza border communities that "we are preparing to return to fighting" in Gaza.

"We must defeat Hamas," Zamir said. "We are also preparing to resume fighting. The hostages are our top priority."

Amichai Stein contributed to this report.