Mossad chief David Barnea's talks in Doha will focus on the remaining gaps between Hamas and Israel (Reuters)
Senior Israeli officials are expected to arrive in Qatar to resume ceasefire talks in Gaza, and while the Israeli war council will be held to discuss the deal to return the prisoners, the White House expressed a cautious tone of optimism after the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) presented a proposal to secure a ceasefire.
A source told Reuters on Saturday that the head of the Israeli intelligence service (Mossad), David Barnea, is expected to resume ceasefire talks in Gaza with the Prime Minister of Qatar, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani, and Egyptian officials in Doha tomorrow, Sunday.
The source added that the talks will focus on the remaining gaps between Hamas and Israel in the negotiations, including the number of Palestinians who may be released in exchange for the release of the rest of the Israeli prisoners, in addition to humanitarian aid to Gaza.
On the other hand, Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper said that the Israeli war council will be held tonight or tomorrow to discuss the deal to return the detainees.
The newspaper reported that the war council will determine the "space for maneuver" that will be granted to the Mossad chief during the talks that will be held in Qatar.
The newspaper indicated that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's threats to work in Rafah may come within the framework of negotiations and pressure on Hamas to reach a deal.
Kirby expressed cautious optimism that the Doha ceasefire talks in Gaza are moving in the right direction (Anatolia)
American optimism
On the other hand, White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby confirmed that the Hamas movement’s proposal regarding a ceasefire agreement in Gaza is considered within the limits of the deal that has been working on for months, and he said that a delegation will head to Doha for a new round of negotiations.
White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby also expressed cautious optimism that the Doha ceasefire talks in Gaza are moving in the right direction.
The Hamas movement announced that it had presented to the mediators in Egypt and Qatar a vision based on stopping the aggression, providing relief, the return of the displaced, and the withdrawal of the occupation.
The movement added - in a statement - that it considers these principles and foundations necessary for the agreement and exchange of prisoners.
She stressed that she would remain biased towards the rights of the Palestinian people.
In an interview with Al Jazeera, Hamas leader Osama Hamdan said that the proposal presented by the movement to the mediators regarding a ceasefire in Gaza and the exchange of prisoners is realistic and characterized by high flexibility.
Hamdan added that the Israeli occupation is trying to circumvent the ceasefire issue, noting that the movement proposed guarantor countries for the agreement in addition to mediators from Qatar, Egypt and the United States.
Sources revealed to Al Jazeera details of the proposal submitted by Hamas to the mediators regarding a ceasefire in Gaza and the exchange of prisoners.
Hamas proposal
The ceasefire proposal includes 3 phases, each lasting 42 days.
According to the sources, in the first stage, Hamas stipulated the withdrawal of the occupation forces from Al-Rashid and Salah Al-Din Streets, for the return of the displaced and the passage of aid.
Hamas also offered, in exchange for the release of every living captive female soldier, to release 50 Palestinian prisoners that it would specify, with 30 of them being life sentencers.
The sources added to Al Jazeera that Hamas stipulated - in conjunction with the start of the second phase - the declaration of a permanent ceasefire before any exchange of its captured soldiers.
Hamas's proposal also included coinciding with the start of the third phase, starting the comprehensive reconstruction process for the Gaza Strip and ending the siege.
On the other hand, the Israeli Prime Minister's Office said that Hamas's demands are still illogical, and that an Israeli team will head to Doha to continue negotiations, after the end of the discussions in this regard in the Mini-Ministerial Council for Political and Security Affairs.
Last week, talks in Cairo mediated by Egypt and Qatar did not lead to any tangible result towards reaching a prisoner exchange agreement within the framework of a temporary truce in the Gaza Strip.
Hamdan said that the proposal presented by Hamas to the mediators is realistic (Al Jazeera)
Netanyahu is facing criticism from the Israeli street and a number of politicians, even those affiliated with the War Council, against the backdrop of the prisoner crisis in Gaza and the failure to find a path to guarantee their return alive, and some of them accuse him of obstructing the deal to release them.
Families of detainees in the Gaza Strip demonstrate almost daily to demand the conclusion of a deal leading to the release of their children.
Israel detains at least 9,100 Palestinians in its prisons, according to official Palestinian sources, while mystery surrounds the number of Israeli prisoners detained in Gaza in light of Hamas’ refusal to reveal an accurate number without a heavy price, and the prisoners are distributed among more than one party in the Gaza Strip.
While the Israeli media talks about the numbers of prisoners detained in Gaza ranging between 240 and 253, including 3 who were released, and 105 who were released by Hamas during a prisoner exchange deal in November 2023, the movement talks about the killing of 70 others as a result of the Israeli bombing.
Since October 7, 2023, Israel has been waging a devastating war on the Gaza Strip, leaving tens of thousands of civilian victims, most of them children and women, in addition to an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe and massive infrastructure destruction, which led to Tel Aviv being brought before the International Court of Justice on charges of genocide. .
Source: Al Jazeera + agencies