Iran could take a “long time” before retaliating against Israel, a spokesman for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has said.

“Time is on our side, and the waiting period for a response may be long,” Ali Mohammad Naini told a press conference on Tuesday.

“For now, the Zionists must live in a state of uncertainty, knowing that Iran’s response may not resemble past operations,” he added.

Commanders from the IRGC, the hard-line force set up to protect Iran’s 1979 Islamic revolution, possess the experience and skill “to punish the enemy effectively and are not inclined toward rash actions”, Mr Nani added.

World leaders have been braced for weeks for a potential Iranian strike on Israel that could pitch the region into all-out war.

Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, continued his tour of the Middle East on Tuesday in an effort to finalise a Gaza ceasefire deal that could avert conflict.

Iranian sources have tied the regime’s retaliation over the killing of Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas chief, in Tehran on July 31 to the negotiations.

On Monday, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, said he backed a US “bridging proposal” to close remaining gaps with Hamas.

“The next step is for Hamas to say yes,” Mr Blinken said, as he visited Cairo, the Egyptian capital.

But Hamas called the latest proposal a “reversal” of what it had agreed to and accused the US of incorporating “new conditions” from Israel. There was no immediate US response.

According to the news website Axios, Mr Netanyahu was told by his negotiators that if he gave them a bit more wriggle room, they could seal an agreement. But the prime minister said no and accused the deal-makers of caving in to Hamas.

The issue of who should control the Philadelphi corridor, a buffer zone separating Gaza from Egypt, is seen as one of the main sticking points in the ceasefire talks, with Israel insisting it keep control.

Middle East Eye cited three senior Egyptians saying that Cairo has agreed to allow Israel to maintain control of the corridor in exchange for the reopening of the Rafah border crossing which will be operated by Palestinians. Israel is yet to comment on the report.

The ultimate responsibility for deciding how Iran will respond to the assassination of Haniyeh lies with Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader.

Mr Khamenei warned Iranian officials last week against “non-tactical retreat,” saying it would “lead to the wrath of God”.

He accused Western powers and Israel of engaging in psychological warfare, claiming they seek to “create fear” by “exaggerating” their capabilities.

The negotiations over a deal came as Israeli forces retrieved the bodies of six hostages from Gaza, one of whom was thought to have been alive until now.

Yoram Metzger, 80, Chaim Perri, 80, Alexander Dancyg, 76, Yagev Buchstab, 35, and Nadav Popplewell, 51, had all been declared killed in captivity earlier this year. Abraham Munder, 79, was considered alive.

The IDF said the bodies were uncovered in Khan Younis in southern Gaza by IDF and Shin Bet intelligence agency forces.

In a statement, the Hostages Families Forum said Mr Munder was captured alive and endured “agonising captivity alongside his loved ones”.

“He should have returned home alive to his family. His murder in captivity underscores the delay in implementing the deal that could have saved his life and the lives of other hostages,” the forum added.

Mati Dancyg, the son of Mr Dancyg, accused Mr Netanyahu’s government of “choosing to abandon the hostages in order to survive”.

“He and all the hostages could have been brought back,” he said.

“Mr Netanyahu chose to sacrifice the hostages. Karma will judge him and he will pay for it, big time.”

Mr Netanyahu’s coalition government is propped up by hard-Right ultranationalists, who have threatened to resign if he agrees to a ceasefire deal.

On Tuesday, Haaretz newspaper reported that Mr Netanyahu believes his government could survive signing a deal.

He had held numerous meetings with Belazel Smotrich, the finance minister, and Itamar Ben Gvir, the national security minister, over the prospect of a deal, the newspaper said.

Even if a deal was signed, Mr Netanyahu believed it could fall apart within weeks – as various steps are implemented – meaning Mr Smotrich and Mr Ben Gvir would remain in the coalition.

Sir Keir Starmer spoke with Mr Netanyahu by phone on Monday, issuing his condolences to the families of the dead hostages.

The two also “discussed diplomatic efforts to secure a ceasefire and the release of the hostages”, according to a read-out from No 10.

Sir Keir called for efforts to de-escalate regional tensions as “the impact of miscalculation would come at great costs for all sides”.

The 51-year-old British-Israeli citizen was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nirim along with Channah, his 79-year-old mother, on Oct 7.

He was declared killed in captivity in June. Channah was released as part of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in November.

On Nov 5, Hamas released a propaganda video of Mr Popplewell with a visible black eye.

Kibbutz Nirim described him as a “family man of distinction and a generous friend, a lover of books and science fiction”.

Mr Munder, 79, was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz on Oct 7 along with Ruth, his wife, Karen, their daughter, and Ohad, his grandson.

He lived for more than 50 years in the Kibbutz, which described him as a “legendary” warehouse manager at the Nirlat paint factory and a “beloved kibbutz member, hardworking, loyal, and a talented singer in the Eshkol choir”.

Ruth, Karen and Ohad were released in a hostage deal in November last year. “Abraham was captured alive and endured agonising captivity alongside his loved ones,” the Kibbutz said in a statement on Tuesday.

Ohad told broadcaster Kan that all the hostages could have “returned alive, even on the first day. They could have brought back grandpa and the other hostages.

“I came back alive but there are hostages who were rescued but not alive, like grandpa.”

The 80-year-old was kidnapped from his home in Kibbutz Nir Oz with his wife Tami on Oct 7. She was released as part of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in November last year.

Israel declared Mr Metzger killed in captivity on June 3 this year. Along with his wife, he leaves behind three children and seven grandchildren.

Mr Metzger worked at the Nirlat paint factory and, in recent years, in the kibbutz’s garage. He was also a member of the kibbutz winery.

“Yoram will be remembered in all our hearts as a pleasant and smiling man who always made everyone feel instantly at home,” the Kibbutz said.

Mr Peri, 80, was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz on Oct 7 and declared killed in captivity on June 3.

Kibbutz Nir Oz described him as a “peace activist” and “an entrepreneur”.

He managed to save Osnat, his wife, before he was abducted.

Mr Peri served as a paratrooper in the IDF, and later declared his life to peace activism, volunteering to bring sick children from Gaza to Israel for medical treatment.

“He survived under inhumane conditions in Hamas tunnels for months until he was brutally murdered in captivity,” the Kibbutz said.

Mr Peri leaves behind him a wife, five children and 13 grandchildren.

Mr Dancyg, 76, was kidnapped from his bed in Kibbutz Nir Oz on Oct 7. The IDF announced last month that he had been killed several months ago while in captivity.

Born in Warsaw in 1948 to two Holocaust survivors, Mr Dancyg moved to Israel with his family when he was nine.

He later became a history teacher and helped the education ministry train guides for teenagers going to Poland to learn about the Holocaust.

Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum issued a statement after his death, saying he was a scholar and an “esteemed expert on Polish culture and on the complex historical relations between the two peoples”.

Mr Dancyg’s grandchild, 22-year-old Eliya, told Haaretz that he experienced war for 20 years, “not just on October 7, and he still always had hope that peace would arrive”.

The 35-year-old and Rimon, his wife, were kidnapped from Kibbutz Nirim on Oct 7. Rimon was later released as part of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas but the IDF announced last month that Mr Buchstab was killed in captivity.

He studied sound design and played the flute and cello.

Rimon wrote a message to him on Facebook in March for the couple’s anniversary, saying: “Another day will go by without you? How has it been over 100 days since I hugged you? Two months of not kissing you? Thank you for teaching me love, acceptance, the power of perfection and dedication. Thanks for keeping me together, even from afar. Thanks for not giving up – neither am I.”

AfriPrime App link:  FREE to download...

https://www.amazon.com/Africircle-AfriPrime/dp/B0D2M3F2JT