The retaliatory attacks on Israel that Iran and Hezbollah have been threatening for the past weeks are seemingly suspended for the moment, as a high-level hostage deal summit in Qatar saw a promising start on Thursday and is set to continue at least another day.

White House National Security spokesperson John Kirby said the first day of talks was a "promising start," after some gaps had already been narrowed in the diplomatic offensive leading up to the talks.

After Iranian officials had already hinted that the regime would consider abandoning its retaliatory strike if Hamas and Israel reached an agreement during the current talks, the Washington Post reported that the terror group would suspend its attack for the duration of the talks.

"The party does not want to be held accountable for obstructing the talks or a potential deal," a source with close ties to Hezbollah told the newspaper on Friday.

In addition, the Prime Minister of Qatar briefed the Iranian Foreign minister on the discussions and stressed the importance of de-escalating regional tensions, the Qatari foreign ministry said.

The news outlet Axios also cited U.S. officials saying that progress was made on Thursday.

While no Hamas representatives were present, delegations led by CIA director Bill Burns and President Biden's top Middle East adviser Brett McGurk, the Prime Minister of Qatar Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Mossad director David Barnea and the head of Egyptian intelligence, Abbas Kamel, talked for several hours.

Senior Hamas official Husam Badran stated Thursday that the terror group believes any negotiations "must be based on a clear plan to implement what was previously agreed upon."

He reiterated Hamas' demands of "a comprehensive cease-fire, a complete withdrawal from Gaza, the return of the displaced and the reconstruction, in addition to a prisoner exchange deal."

Throughout the day, Hamas representatives were briefed on the progress of the talks by Qatari and Egyptian mediators, according to Axios.

Kirby noted that previous negotiation rounds were also held indirectly, "where mediators will sit and discuss, work things out, and then those mediators will be in touch with Hamas, and then Hamas leaders in Doha communicate directly with Mr. Sinwar for final answers."

The mediating countries "are resolute in their commitment to move forward in their endeavors to reach a cease-fire in the Gaza strip that would facilitate the release of hostages and enable the entry of the largest possible amount of humanitarian aid into Gaza," said Qatar's foreign affairs spokesman Majed Al-Ansari.

Kirby further emphasized how given the complexity of the agreement and the detailed discussions of how exactly it would be implemented, there was still some way to go to reach a final agreement.

However, he concluded: "The remaining obstacles can be overcome, and we must bring this process to a close."