Informed Egyptian sources spoke of “moves by the Israeli government to initiate a new prisoner exchange deal that includes those with the resistance, whom Israel says number 138 prisoners.”

The Egyptian capital, Cairo, is witnessing movements regarding stopping the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip, as well as examining the possibility of concluding a new exchange deal between Israel and Hamas, according to what Egyptian sources confirmed to Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.

According to Egyptian sources, Israel expects that the understanding with Cairo in any negotiations related to the truce, or others, will be a helpful factor for it, due to geographical factors, but it cannot achieve a final agreement that can be relied upon alone.

An Egyptian source said, "The last few hours have witnessed Israeli movements and contacts with officials in Egypt, with the aim of what can be described as testing the pulse to determine the extent of the possibility of conducting a new partial prisoner exchange deal, which could witness a new temporary ceasefire."

The source explained that “Israeli contacts took place with Egyptian officials, during which the matter was discussed, while Israeli government officials indicated the possibility of conducting a prisoner exchange deal that includes female soldiers, the elderly, and injured recruits, and that they hinted at the same time to the possibility of Tel Aviv responding to the Hamas movement’s demands to release sick and elderly prisoners, and some former prisoners whom Israel describes as having “blood on their hands.”

The Egyptian source attributed what he called the “sudden transformation” to “the amount of pressure imposed on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as well as the violent political conflict within the war council, and Netanyahu’s fear that rival political or military leaders would gain points at his expense on the home front, by adopting a supportive position to make the liberation of prisoners a priority.”

The source said, “Egyptian estimates indicate that there are indications of the possibility of returning soon to a deal,” explaining that “the same atmosphere and method that the Israelis followed before the last deal is happening now, from a violent escalation in strikes, and very high-level statements from the political level, not to make deals.” “At the present time, in return, security channels are beginning to open lines of communication with intermediaries.”

He pointed out that "there is great internal pressure on the American administration, with the escalation of bombing and scenes of displacement and deaths of children and civilians." At the same time, he ruled out that “the American green light granted to the Netanyahu government will extend until the end of this December.”

A member of the Knesset from the Likud Party, Avi Dichter, had stressed in previous statements that “Israel’s interest is that Egypt should monopolize the leadership role in mediation efforts, which could lead to reaching an exchange deal with Hamas.”

He said "there is a desire within the Israeli government for Egypt to play the largest role in the issue of mediation, away from the other parties involved in this file."

In this context, Ammar Fayed, a researcher in political science and international relations, said in an interview with Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that the Egyptian presence in the file of mediation in the prisoner exchange deal “comes by virtue of geography, but in theory the negotiations are taking place under the supervision of American intelligence through the Qatari mediator.”

He explained, "If Qatar is able to mediate on its own due to the presence of Hamas leaders there, and enjoys their trust and the trust of the Americans, then the arrangements for any agreement will be where Egypt will be present by virtue of geography."

Al-Araby Al-Jadeed