During the release of Israeli detainees held by Hamas last November (Reuters)

An Israeli official said - today, Tuesday - that they are awaiting a response from the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) to its proposals regarding prisoner exchange talks and a ceasefire in Gaza.

While Egyptian sources spoke of "difficulties," a Hamas leader expected that leaders from the movement would hold more talks in the capital, Cairo.

In statements reported by the Israeli Channel 13, that official said that they came against the backdrop of reports that spoke of the “collapse” of the ongoing negotiations in the Egyptian capital to reach an agreement between Israel and Hamas.

The Israeli official added, "There is no change in the situation, and we are still waiting for a response from Hamas," without clarifying the nature of the offer presented to the movement and the expected response, according to Anadolu Agency.

Israel refrains from commenting publicly on the Cairo talks.

A source told Reuters earlier that Israel boycotted the talks because Hamas rejected its request to provide a list of names of all detainees still alive.

Hamas' position

On the other hand, a Hamas leader said that leaders from the movement are expected to hold more talks in Cairo with Egyptian and Qatari mediators as part of efforts to reach a ceasefire agreement.

Earlier today, an informed source in Hamas confirmed the movement’s position, which requires the occupation to stop its aggression against the Gaza Strip and allow humanitarian aid to enter without restrictions, in order for Hamas to continue participating in negotiations regarding the exchange of prisoners.

The source, who requested to remain anonymous, said - in exclusive statements to Al Jazeera Net - that Hamas is considering suspending its participation in the negotiations as one of the options to respond to the continued aggression and the policy of starving citizens in the Gaza Strip.

He added that Hamas showed great response to the mediation led by Doha and Cairo, and that the movement sent its delegation to the Egyptian capital to participate in the negotiations, but "it is Israeli intransigence that fails the negotiation process every time."

In Cairo, local media sources quoted a senior Egyptian source as saying that there were “difficulties” facing these discussions, but he confirmed that they were “still ongoing.”

According to the Cairo News Channel, a senior Egyptian source said that the discussions are still continuing, with the aim of reaching a truce in the Gaza Strip before the month of Ramadan.

American optimism

In a press conference held by US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken in Washington with his Qatari counterpart Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani, Blinken said, "We have an opportunity to reach an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and we must reach it to increase humanitarian access."

For his part, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman said, “We would like all the hostages in the Gaza Strip to be liberated and aid delivered to civilians,” adding that “the current situation is unprecedented, and chaos is spreading everywhere in Gaza, the Red Sea, and Syria.”

There have been hopes that the Cairo talks will be the last stop before reaching the first long-term ceasefire in the war, a 40-day truce during which dozens of detainees will be released and aid will be pumped into Gaza to prevent famine, before the month of Ramadan, which falls next week.

In the first phase of the ceasefire agreement, Hamas demands the nomination of 500 prisoners for release, including life sentences and those with high sentences, in exchange for the release of 40 Israeli detainees, including civilians, the elderly, and female soldiers.

A Hamas delegation arrived in Cairo on Sunday to hold meetings with mediators from Qatar, Egypt and the United States to complete ceasefire negotiations in Gaza and an agreement to exchange prisoners and detainees with Israel, while Tel Aviv did not send a delegation to represent it.

Qatari mediation - with Egyptian-American support - succeeded in reaching a temporary humanitarian truce on November 24, which lasted for a week, during which 240 Palestinian prisoners were released from occupation prisons in exchange for the release of more than 100 detainees held by the resistance in Gaza, including about 80 Israelis.

Source: Al Jazeera + agencies