A leading source in the Hamas movement said on Sunday that any attack by the Israeli army on the city of Rafah would undermine the exchange negotiations, at a time when discussions continue in Qatar and Egypt in order to reach a deal to exchange prisoners and detainees.

The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, announced on Friday that he had instructed the security level and the Israeli army to prepare a plan to carry out a military operation in Rafah, while the newspaper “Yedioth Ahronoth” explained that the army had practically approved the plan it had prepared for the military operation in Rafah, which includes Also evacuate the population from there.

Netanyahu said, "The goal of the war, which is to destroy Hamas, cannot be achieved while 4 Hamas-affiliated brigades are maintained in Rafah."

On Saturday, the official Israeli Broadcasting Authority quoted an unnamed senior Israeli official as saying, “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu informed the cabinet and the war council that the ground military operation in Rafah must end with the advent of the month of Ramadan, on the tenth of next March.” 

Netanyahu's insistence on launching a military operation in Rafah comes despite international criticism and fears of a large number of casualties in the area to which Israeli army had previously ordered the civilian population to migrate, as it intensified the bombing in the center and north of the Gaza Strip.

According to what the source told the movement’s Al-Aqsa Channel, the head of Israeli government, Benjamin Netanyahu, “is trying to evade the entitlements of the exchange deal, by committing genocide and a new humanitarian catastrophe in Rafah,” noting that “what Netanyahu and his "Nazy" army did not achieve in more than four months, will not happen.” He will achieve it no matter how long the war lasts.”

Negotiations are underway aimed at reaching a deal between Hamas and Israel, after the movement delivered its response to the Paris proposal to the states of Egypt and Qatar, and Israel also delivered its response to Hamas’ proposals.

The delegation of the Islamic Resistance Movement "Hamas" left the Egyptian capital, Cairo, late on Friday evening, heading to the Qatari capital, Doha, after a series of discussions with officials and mediators from Egypt and Qatar.

According to what a source in the movement said in a statement to Al-Araby Al-Jadeed earlier, the delegation is scheduled to return to Cairo again within several days, after consulting with the movement’s political office regarding what was discussed in Cairo regarding the offer made to stop fire and prisoner exchange with the Israeli army.

Tel Aviv is preparing to send a delegation to Cairo next week, to hold discussions with Egypt, Qatar and the United States regarding the prisoner deal in the Gaza Strip, according to what the Walla website said.

Hamas had proposed a three-stage plan, each lasting 45 days, that included the release of the remaining detainees, the start of the reconstruction of Gaza, the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces, and the exchange of bodies and remains.

On the other hand, Israel informed the mediators on Friday evening that it rejects most of the demands presented by Hamas, but is ready for negotiations on the basis of the Paris Agreement, according to what the Walla website quoted an Israeli official.

The official confirmed that Israel informed the mediators of its refusal to discuss the issue of lifting the siege on Gaza during the prisoner exchange negotiations, and the withdrawal of the Israeli army from the corridor that divides the Gaza Strip into two parts early in the first phase of the talks.

The official also confirmed that Israel rejects the return of residents to the northern Gaza Strip, but is examining the possibility of preparing for the army’s withdrawal from city centers in the Strip.

The Hamas leader said, "Netanyahu is trying to evade the entitlements of the exchange deal by committing genocide and a new humanitarian disaster in Rafah."