U.S. officials have been working closely with Egypt and Qatar to formulate a final “take it or leave it” proposal to present to both Israel and Hamas in the coming weeks, according to a senior administration official speaking on the condition of anonymity. 

U.S. President Joe Biden’s long-standing efforts for a cease-fire and hostage-release agreement faced renewed urgency on Sunday following the discovery of six hostages' bodies by Israeli forces, including Israeli American Hersh Goldberg-Polin.

“You can’t keep negotiating this. This process has to be called at some point,” the senior official told The Washington Post, noting that the urgency to finalize the proposal remains high despite the 

“Does it derail the deal? No. If anything, it should add additional urgency in this closing phase, which we were already in,” the official stressed. 

Last week, U.S. officials were negotiating final details of a “bridging proposal” between Israel and Hamas, focusing on which hostages would be exchanged for specific Palestinian prisoners, some of whom have been held without trial.

The first phase of the proposed exchange was to include the release of women, the elderly, and the ill and wounded, including Goldberg-Polin, whose left arm was severely injured by a grenade during the October 7 attacks. The bodies of two Israeli women, Carmel Gat and Eden Yerushalmi, also discovered by the Israeli army on Saturday, were among those listed for the initial phase of the release.

With the confirmation of the six hostages' deaths, the negotiations have become increasingly complex. The senior administration officials highlighted that these deaths necessitate a renegotiation of the detailed deliberations regarding which hostages will be released in exchange for specific Palestinian prisoners.

“The decision by Hamas to execute hostages while negotiations were underway calls into question Hamas’s seriousness in the talks,” said the senior administration official. Despite making some concessions, Hamas has been obstinate at various points.

The negotiations have seen both Netanyahu and Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar display reluctance to finalize a deal. Netanyahu has faced criticism from Israel’s security establishment, political opponents, and the hostages' families for prolonging the negotiations by introducing new demands, such as an indefinite Israeli military presence in strategic border corridors between Egypt and Gaza.

“U.S. officials are going to be burning up the phones over the next 48 hours to see if a deal can still be reached,” said a second senior U.S. official, underscoring the immediate need for a resolution.