Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper said that the Israeli War Council will hold a session this evening, Wednesday, to discuss the response of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) to the proposed prisoner exchange deal, while Israeli reports indicate that the main dispute is currently focused on the return of displaced Palestinians to the northern Gaza Strip.

Earlier today, the Israeli Broadcasting Authority said that indirect negotiations between Hamas and Israel are still continuing to reach an agreement to exchange prisoners and ceasefire, despite reports that Tel Aviv has summoned its negotiating delegation from the Qatari capital, Doha.

The Broadcasting Corporation quoted unnamed Israeli sources as saying, “Despite Hamas’s negative response to the proposal related to the prisoner exchange deal, negotiations with the movement are continuing.”

A foreign source told the Commission that the main point of disagreement revolves around the return of the displaced to the northern Gaza Strip, but a settlement can still be reached.

At the same time, an Israeli source said that reaching a compromise on the return of the displaced was possible, but the Israeli delegation was not authorized to resolve the issue, he said.

Yesterday, Tuesday, the Qatari Foreign Ministry announced that talks are still ongoing between the parties at the level of technical teams, and clarified that there is no timetable for negotiations.

Indirect negotiations are being conducted between Hamas and Israel through Qatari and Egyptian mediation, with the participation of the United States, in light of the continuation of the Israeli war on Gaza since last October.

The bombing forced about two million Palestinians to flee their areas in the Gaza Strip, which has been besieged by Israel for 17 years and is inhabited by about 2.2 million people in catastrophic conditions.

Hamas sticks to its position

For his part, the head of the Hamas movement abroad, Khaled Meshaal, confirmed that “the movement’s leadership is waging a negotiating battle no less fierce than the battle of the field, and God willing, we will defeat them in the field and in the negotiating battle.”

Meshaal added - in a speech he gave during an event in Jordan - that the movement insists in the negotiations on “stopping the aggression, withdrawing from Gaza, returning the displaced to their places, especially in northern Gaza, and providing all necessary relief, shelter, reconstruction, and ending the siege.”

He continued, "We will not release their prisoners until we achieve these goals and manage the negotiating battle firmly."

Hamas said that the basic principles underlying its vision of the negotiation file, which it presented to the mediators in Egypt and Qatar, are based on five main points: 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.

A truce was previously held between Hamas and Israel for a week from November 24 to December 1, 2023, during which there was a ceasefire, an exchange of prisoners, and the entry of limited humanitarian aid into Gaza.