Disagreements in the Israeli government caused negotiations to falter (Reuters)

Maariv newspaper quoted a senior Israeli security source as saying that the Israeli side is stubborn regarding the issue of the prisoner exchange deal with the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), in light of reports indicating disagreements between the political and professional levels of the government that caused the negotiations to falter.

The security source said that time is passing, and soon there will be no point in negotiating because there will be no prisoners remaining detained.

The newspaper added, quoting the source, that if there is anyone who is stubborn in negotiating now, it is the Israeli side, and he stressed that what the Foreign Intelligence Service (Mossad) is trying to promote about Hamas’ lack of interest in the exchange deal is not true.

The United States, Qatar, and Egypt are working to reach a truce agreement in Gaza before the month of Ramadan, but the negotiations held this week in Cairo did not lead to any tangible results.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said - in a statement - that "Mossad Chief David Barnea met with CIA Director William Burns on Friday as part of ongoing efforts to reach a new agreement to release the hostages."

The statement added that Israel is still communicating with mediators with the aim of reaching an agreement.

He said, "At this stage, Hamas is strengthening its positions," claiming that the movement does not seem interested in a deal and is seeking to ignite the region during the month of Ramadan at the expense of the Palestinian population in the Gaza Strip.

Expanding the scope of delegation

Netanyahu rejected requests from the competent authorities in his government and security services to expand the scope of the mandate granted to the Israeli delegation entrusted with holding discussions in order to conclude a prisoner exchange deal with the Hamas movement.

Israeli official radio reported that Netanyahu rejected this because of the opposition of political officials in his government to concluding a prisoner deal and achieving a truce for the fighting in the Gaza Strip.

Israeli Channel 12 said that leaked reports regarding the course of recent discussions conducted by leading entities such as the War Council and the Mini-Ministerial Council revealed that differences in positions between political officials in the government and leaders in the security services are the reason for the faltering negotiations and the failure to achieve a prisoner exchange deal and a truce before a month arrives. Ramadan.

On the other hand, Reuters quoted a source in the Hamas movement as saying that it was "unlikely" that a delegation from the movement would make another visit to Cairo early this week to hold talks.

Hamas blamed Israel for the lack of progress, which refuses to provide guarantees to end the war or withdraw forces from the Gaza Strip.

Israel estimates that there are more than 125 prisoners in Gaza, while it holds at least 8,800 Palestinian prisoners in its prisons, according to official sources from both sides.

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 that has left tens of thousands of civilian victims, most of them children and women, in addition to an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe and massive destruction of infrastructure, which led to Tel Aviv being brought before the International Court of Justice on charges of “ Genocide".

Source: Israeli press + agencies