The previous truce between Hamas and Israel during which a ceasefire and prisoner exchange took place (Al Jazeera)

The Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) said that its delegation left Cairo on Thursday, while the US ambassador to Tel Aviv, Jack Lew, considered it a mistake to assume that the prisoner exchange and ceasefire talks in the Gaza Strip between Hamas and Israel had failed.

A Hamas statement said: “The Hamas delegation left Cairo today to consult with the movement’s leadership, while negotiations and efforts continue to stop the aggression, return the displaced, and bring relief aid to our people.”

Hamas leader Sami Abu Zuhri said that Israel "thwarted" all mediators' efforts to reach a ceasefire agreement.

He added to Reuters that Israel rejects Hamas's demands "to stop the aggression and withdrawal, and to guarantee the freedom of aid entry and the return of the displaced."

Hamas officials said earlier that the release of prisoners could not take place before a ceasefire was reached along with the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and that all residents of the Strip could return to their homes from which they fled.

Hamas also says that it cannot provide a list of prisoners who are still alive without a ceasefire because the prisoners are distributed in different parts of the war zone.

The Chinese Xinhua News Agency quoted a Hamas official as saying that Israel gave priority to the issue of its prisoners during negotiations at the time of the shooting, while rejecting conditions set by the Palestinian factions.

This comes after sources reported to Al Jazeera that the round of negotiations in Cairo to reach a ceasefire in Gaza ended without reaching an agreement.

The sources said that Israel rejected Hamas's request for a permanent ceasefire, the army's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, and the return of the displaced without conditions.

The sources added to Al Jazeera that the mediators in Cairo tried to bridge the gap between Hamas and Israel, but their efforts were unsuccessful.

Jack Liu: It is wrong to assume failure (Associated Press)

Differences narrow

In contrast to all of the above, the US Ambassador to Israel, Jack Lew, confirmed on Thursday that “differences are narrowing” in the talks on a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

Liu stated - at a conference in Tel Aviv - "I cannot tell you that the negotiations will be crowned with success," but "the differences are narrowing," stressing that "everyone is looking forward to the approaching month of Ramadan, and it is wrong to assume failure."

He added that a lot of pressure must be exerted on all parties in the negotiations to remain in the negotiations.

In this context, a senior American official said that the proposed agreement for a temporary ceasefire in the Gaza Strip includes 3 stages.

The official added that the return of residents to the northern Gaza Strip is part of the proposed ceasefire agreement.

He expressed his belief that there was a way to reach a ceasefire agreement and that what he called extremists might exploit Ramadan to commit acts of violence.

The American official confirmed that there will be a ceasefire now if Hamas agrees to release the detainees.

In a related development, there were reports that CIA Director Bill Burns arrived “secretly” in Egypt on Wednesday evening to hold talks with Egyptian officials about the prisoner deal between Hamas and Israel.

Families of Israeli prisoners continue to pressure their government to conclude an exchange deal with Hamas (Anatolia)

Pressure and closure

For his part, Israeli War Council member Gadi Eisenkot said that Hamas is under "very serious pressure" from mediators to make a "counter-offer."

Eisenkot added - at the Tel Aviv conference - "Then it will be possible to move forward and take a position."

But Eisenkot also pointed out that "the return of the kidnapped people is better than the destruction of Hamas, and that without that there is no victory, but rather permanent damage to national strength," as he put it.

Meanwhile, families of Israeli prisoners in Gaza closed the street opposite the Ministry of Defense headquarters in Tel Aviv in protest against not reaching an exchange deal.

The families demanded an immediate meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and members of the War Council to inform them of the latest developments in the Cairo talks regarding reaching a prisoner exchange deal.

The families said - in a statement - that they have behaved sensibly and calmly until this moment, but they can no longer bear to obtain information regarding the course of the negotiations from the media, and that the members of the War Council must sit with them and inform them of the developments.

The families of the prisoners threaten to escalate their protest with the aim of pressuring Netanyahu to conclude an immediate prisoner exchange deal.

Since Sunday, negotiations have been taking place in Cairo with the participation of Egypt, the United States, Qatar and Hamas for a ceasefire between the Gaza Strip and Israel.

A truce previously prevailed between Hamas and Israel for a week from November 24 until December 1, 2023, during which a ceasefire took place, a prisoner exchange took place, and very limited humanitarian aid was brought into Gaza, with Qatari-Egyptian-American mediation.

Since October 7, 2023, Israel has been waging a devastating war on the Gaza Strip, leaving tens of thousands of victims, most of them children and women, massive destruction of infrastructure and a humanitarian catastrophe, which led to Israel being brought before the International Court of Justice on charges of committing genocide. Collective.

Source: Al Jazeera + agencies