The hostage release talks are still on. While they continue, it looks like Israel has put a de facto hold on a planned move to go after Hamas in Rafah. Part of the Hamas strategy has been to drag out such negotiations and to have the actual temporary cease-fire evolve into a permanent one. This needs to happen without Hamas losing political control. When the IDF does finally leave, Hamas will be left in charge and have a massive propaganda victory to exploit. Hezbollah in Lebanon has already been pursuing this vision. They are careful not to cross any known red lines while pointing out that they are still shooting into Israel (and Israel is not invading Lebanon out of fear).
Hamas has already been able to get western media to completely ignore the fact that they are a terrorist organization that hides behind civilians as human shields. Hamas has been able to distribute fake news because it controls all media releases from Gaza either directly or via UN and other aid groups that depend upon Hamas for ‘official’ data. There are no alternatives to Hamas run services for civilians. Educational and medical facilities are run by Hamas representatives. Aid distribution is handled by Hamas. This includes food, water, and electricity (when available0 and Hamas decides who gets what, and how much.
Wetherhorn 