Scenes from the handover of prisoners on the sixth day of the truce that took place previously (Al Jazeera)
Sources in the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) told Al Jazeera Net that the movement showed high flexibility during the round of negotiations held in Doha over the past two days, in order to reach a prisoner exchange deal within a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip.
But the Israeli response was negative and did not respond to the movement’s demands. Rather, the Israeli negotiating team returned the negotiations every time to the starting point, according to a source in the movement.
A second source in the movement explained that the basic principles upon which the movement’s vision of the negotiation file is based are based on 5 main points, which are a ceasefire, an unconditional return of the displaced, the withdrawal of the Israeli occupation army from Gaza, the entry of aid and relief materials, and reconstruction, and all of this is within A prisoner exchange deal in 3 stages, its terms and implementation mechanisms will be agreed upon.
The source revealed that during the previous negotiating rounds, the movement was stipulating a comprehensive ceasefire and complete withdrawal during the first phase of the deal, while it set this condition during this round in the second phase.
He continued that the movement provided flexibility during this round and stipulated in the first stage what would lead to reaching a ceasefire and withdrawal, such as the withdrawal of the occupation from crowded places and withdrawal from Al-Rashid and Salah Al-Din Streets for the return of the displaced without conditions and the passage of aid.
He stressed that the movement presented, as usual, a complete paper within 3 stages leading to what he called “sustainable calm.” In it, the movement provided full details for the first stage, while providing basic headings for the second and third stages.
Negative response
Hamas leader Osama Hamdan reported that the Israeli occupation’s response to the movement’s proposal regarding ceasefire negotiations and prisoner exchange “was negative and does not respond to the demands of our people,” blaming Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government and those who support him responsible for obstructing efforts to save the exchange deal.
Hamdan said that Hamas presented its vision regarding the prisoner exchange file and showed positivity and high flexibility, noting that the movement is following the course of negotiations through the mediator brothers in Egypt and Qatar.
He revealed that the occupation had backed away from the approvals it had previously provided to the mediators, "in an attempt to procrastinate further, which may lead the negotiations to a dead end."
A few days ago, the Hamas movement presented a proposal for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip in 3 stages, each lasting 42 days. During the proposal, it offered, in exchange for the release of every living captive female soldier, the release of 50 Palestinian prisoners, 30 of whom are life sentencers.
Hamas's proposal also included starting the comprehensive reconstruction process for the Gaza Strip and ending the siege with the start of the third phase of the deal.
Source: Al Jazeera