Israel expressed, as part of the truce talks today, Sunday, openness to allowing the return of displaced Palestinians to the northern Gaza Strip, in what appears to be a response to one of the core demands of the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas).

The two warring parties intensified negotiations, mediated by Qatar and Egypt, regarding a six-week suspension of the Israeli attack in exchange for the release of 40 of the 130 hostages still held by the armed movement in Gaza.

Hamas seeks to exploit any agreement to end the fighting and the withdrawal of Israeli forces, while Israel excludes this, saying it will ultimately resume its efforts to dismantle Hamas's administrative and military capabilities.

Hamas also wants to allow hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to return to the northern Gaza Strip after fleeing the city of Gaza and surrounding areas to the south during the first phase of the nearly six-month-long war.

Israel initially refused to do so. However, an Israeli official familiar with the Doha talks said Israel had softened its position.

The official told Reuters, "We are now ready to discuss the return of some of the displaced," without going into details about the numbers. Israeli media speculated that the offer would be limited to women and children to prevent armed individuals seeking to support their comrades whom the Israeli army is still fighting in various parts of Gaza City from entering.

The official, who requested anonymity, said Israel had also agreed in principle to release between 700 and 800 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for releasing the forty hostages.

This seems to meet one of the demands listed in Hamas's proposal, reported by Reuters on March 15, which calls for the release of between 700 and 1,000 prisoners.

But the Israeli official warned that any final decision would be based on the number of prominent prisoners from armed factions serving long sentences for deadly attacks.

On the other hand, French President Emmanuel Macron escalated his tone towards Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, reaffirming his "strong opposition" to an Israeli attack on Rafah and warning that "the forcible transfer of populations constitutes a war crime."

During a phone call with Netanyahu today, Macron repeated his call for an "immediate and sustainable ceasefire in Gaza" and "strongly condemned recent Israeli announcements regarding settlement expansion."

The Israeli Prime Minister also informed of his intention to submit a draft resolution to the UN Security Council calling for an "immediate and sustainable ceasefire."

Moscow and Beijing vetoed a similar draft resolution submitted by Washington on Friday, with Moscow particularly denouncing it as a "usual farce involving hypocrisy."

Five and a half months of devastating war have led to a catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.

The French President stressed the necessity for Israel to "open all existing land crossings with the Gaza Strip without delay and without conditions."

Emmanuel Macron also spoke on the phone on Sunday with Jordanian King Abdullah II, where the two leaders discussed "the unjustified casualty toll and humanitarian situation in Gaza," according to the Élysée Palace.

They agreed on the need to achieve an "immediate and sustainable ceasefire" and "emphasized that exposing civilians to the risk of famine is unjustified."

They also considered that the two-state solution is "the only solution capable of meeting the legitimate aspirations of Israelis and Palestinians for peace and security," which "includes the establishment of a Palestinian state encompassing Gaza."

The war broke out on October 7 after an unprecedented Hamas attack on Israeli territory, which resulted in the death of at least 1,160 people, mostly civilians, according to a count conducted by Agence France-Presse based on official Israeli data.

About 250 people were also kidnapped, of whom 130 remain hostages in Gaza, and it is believed that 33 of them have died, according to the same source.

In response to the attack, Israel vowed to eliminate Hamas. Its army launched an offensive that resulted in the death of 32,226 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the latest toll from the Hamas-run Ministry of Health.