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Analysts and experts had different opinions about the possibility of soon reaching a new prisoner exchange deal between the Palestinian resistance and Israel that would lead to stopping the war on the Gaza Strip, after the Paris Quartet negotiations with the participation of Doha, Cairo, Washington, and Tel Aviv.

Professor of Political Science at An-Najah Palestinian University, Dr. Raed Nairat, said that there is a new climate and perception that may require some time to put pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, indicating the presence of a will on the part of Washington in light of pressure from countries in the region.

He added that the United States is afraid of the outbreak of a regional war after its involvement in air strikes in Yemen, in addition to the increase in the number of Palestinian martyrs and wounded, believing that failure to complete the deal will only lead to the continuation of the war of extermination and destruction.

Nairat considered - while speaking on the program "Gaza... What's next?" - that Netanyahu's conditions for stopping the war cannot be logical, and his speech is populist and expresses his right-wing coalition, referring to opposition leader Yair Lapid's proposal to expand the government coalition in order to move forward with the prisoner return deal.

He added that Lapid wants to extract a strong card from Netanyahu, who fears that he will lose his government coalition if he goes for an agreement, stressing that this proposal represents a lifeline, a pressure card, and an alternative option for Netanyahu.

"The truce continues"

For his part, writer and political analyst Sari Orabi believes that the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) has several considerations regarding the current proposals to complete an exchange deal, the most important of which is its awareness of the occupation’s intentions to strip it of its most important card, citing previous experiences that confirm this.

Orabi adds that Hamas realizes the importance of this paper, and its adherence to the negotiating file is what improves the proposals presented to it and pushes the occupation to make successive concessions. It is also aware of the humanitarian catastrophe and the necessity of alleviating it by stopping the aggression and withdrawing the occupation from Gaza.

As for US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s description of the proposals presented as strong and convincing, Orabi believes that perhaps there are perceptions drawn up to bring Netanyahu down from the tree, stressing the need not to trust Washington’s statements “because it may want to rid the occupation of the burden and weight of the prisoner file.”

He pointed out that Hamas may be convinced if it finds in the proposals “foundations and foundations that require the ongoing truces to be transformed into a final ceasefire,” revealing that the matter depends on its assessments.

Orabi added that the occupation described its current war as an existential war, and tried to obscure the prisoners’ file, but Gaza’s steadfastness, resistance, and awareness of Netanyahu’s tricks are what improve the conditions and proposals presented.

He pointed out that the divergent positions place a burden on the Arab and international mediators to bring Netanyahu down from the tree after the war turned into absurdity, stressing that it is difficult to be certain that the two sides have approached a common point.

Orabi expressed his conviction that it is not easy to have a declared ceasefire, because this would mean defeat, retreat, and a strategic loss for the occupation. He suggested reaching a long-term truce that might end with a ceasefire and the occupation’s withdrawal from Gaza.

"absolute conviction"

In turn, the military and strategic expert Al-Duwairi said that the field situation confirms that Netanyahu knows the truth and does not speak it, and knows that he will not be able to defeat Hamas and its military wing, but he wants to prolong the war for as long as possible in the hope of a surprise that may occur.

Al-Duwairi pointed out that Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant said that Hamas cannot be completely eliminated, and Chief of Staff Herzi Halevy also said that the absence of a clear vision leads to the erosion of the army’s achievements.

Al-Duwairi concluded that there was an absolute conviction that they would not be able to achieve this, and he cited the launching of rockets towards Tel Aviv on the 115th day of the war, as they were launched from southwest of Gaza City.

He stressed that Hamas knows for sure the importance of the Israeli prisoners’ card, indicating that after the collapse of the humanitarian truce, the battle in Gaza was expanded by land and in the air, before pointing out that the occupation failed to release the prisoners militarily, but rather through a negotiating path, while it only succeeded in destroying the necessities of life in Gaza.

Source: Al Jazeera