White House spokesman John Kirby said on Wednesday that President Joe Biden's Middle East advisor, Brett McGurk, is in the Qatari capital, Doha, to hold discussions on the possibilities of concluding another prisoner exchange deal between Israel and Hamas.

This is McGurk's second trip to Doha this month to discuss the issue of detained prisoners, after a visit he made on January 9.

According to what the American website "Axios" reported on Sunday, McGurk is expected to meet with the Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani in Doha, during his visit.

McGurk visited Cairo yesterday, Tuesday, to hold “serious” discussions regarding the release of prisoners detained in Gaza, and reaching a humanitarian truce in Gaza, according to what Kirby announced.

In recent hours, information has increased about the possibility of reaching a new truce in the Gaza Strip, according to which more prisoners and detainees from both sides will be released. In this context, Reuters said yesterday, Tuesday, that Israel and Hamas have largely agreed, in principle, to the possibility of exchanging Israeli detainees for Palestinian prisoners during a month-long truce.

The agency quoted three sources as saying that the framework plan was delayed due to differences between the two sides regarding how to reach a permanent end to the war in Gaza.

Today, Wednesday, the Israeli occupation government ruled out a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. A government spokeswoman denied media reports indicating the possibility of reaching a new agreement with Hamas, according to which the fighting would be halted in exchange for the release of prisoners.

Spokeswoman Ilana Stein said in a press briefing: “Commenting on news about ceasefire agreements, Israel will not abandon the destruction of Hamas and the return of all hostages, and Gaza will not pose a security threat to Israel.” She added: "There will be no ceasefire. There were truces for humanitarian purposes. Hamas violated this agreement."

The American Wall Street Journal had previously said that the United States, Egypt and Qatar are pressuring Israel and Hamas to reach a prisoner exchange deal, which would lead to a ceasefire and the withdrawal of the Israeli army from the Gaza Strip.

The new proposal, supported by Washington, Cairo and Doha, according to the newspaper, aims to reach a comprehensive ceasefire in Gaza, by agreeing on prisoner and detainee exchange deals between the two parties.

This comes as the official spokesman for the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Majed Al-Ansari, confirmed on Tuesday that Qatari mediation regarding the Israeli war on Gaza is continuing, and that much of the information published in this regard is false.

Al-Ansari said, in a press conference, that there are serious negotiations taking place in this regard, and that the Qatari mediation is working to reach a sustainable ceasefire in Gaza, explaining that there is no “direct impact so far of the killing of Israeli soldiers in Gaza on the negotiation process.”

Source: Reuters, Al-Arabi Al-Jadeed