Israeli Haaretz suggested reaching a deal with the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) for a deal that includes a prisoner exchange and a six-week ceasefire, before the next month of Ramadan.

The newspaper said that Israel and Hamas are working to complete the terms of the exchange deal before the next month of Ramadan, according to foreign diplomatic sources participating in the negotiations, without providing further details.

One of the sources - according to the Israeli newspaper - considered that the ideal time to implement the agreement would be during the month of Ramadan 1445 AH, which begins next March 10.

According to the draft proposal presented, the first phase of the ceasefire will last 6 weeks, according to Israeli media.

The sources explained that Israel prefers to take its time to reach an agreement, so that it can complete the military operations in Khan Yunis, and perhaps expand them to Rafah, provided that any exchange deal includes a long-term ceasefire, according to Haaretz.

Disagreement on key issues

On the other hand, Haaretz quoted Israeli sources as saying that the two sides are still far from consensus on the main issues in the negotiations, primarily regarding the duration of the ceasefire.

At the same time, Israel is putting pressure on Hamas to reduce the number of Palestinian security prisoners who would be released in any deal.

The newspaper also explained that foreign sources expressed cautious optimism about the possibility of reaching an agreement within this time frame, and claimed that both Israel and Hamas have shown - at the present time - a commitment to quietly conducting negotiations to resolve the outstanding issues.

Another source - quoted by Haaretz and not named - indicated that not every public announcement by Israel or Hamas reflects the discussions taking place behind closed doors, indicating that “we can expect a lot of manipulation in the coming weeks by both sides, in order to prepare public opinion and the internal political arena for what is coming.”

Haaretz reported that any progress made by the army may affect Hamas' readiness to implement the agreement. At the same time, the international community has difficulty predicting whether Netanyahu will back away from the understandings reached at the last minute due to security, internal political, or personal considerations.

A truce previously prevailed between the Palestinian resistance and Israel for a week from November 24 until the beginning of December 2023, during which a ceasefire took place, prisoners were exchanged, and humanitarian aid was brought into Gaza, with mediation by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States.

Tel Aviv estimates that there are about 134 Israeli detainees in Gaza, while it holds at least 8,800 Palestinians in its prisons, according to official sources from both parties.

Israeli Cabinet meeting

The expanded Cabinet in Israel held a meeting to discuss proposals for an exchange deal, and Council Speaker Benjamin Netanyahu interrupted the meeting to make a phone call with US President Joe Biden.

The Israeli Broadcasting Authority reported that Netanyahu left the meeting to make the call, which lasted about 40 minutes, during which - according to Israeli media - the issue of prisoners detained in Gaza and the results of the Cairo meeting were discussed, as well as the army’s operations in Rafah and the issue of bringing humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip.

Protests of detainees' families

In parallel, dozens of Israelis closed the street leading to the Ministry of Defense in Tel Aviv in protest against Netanyahu's decision to freeze negotiations with Hamas.

The demonstrators demanded an immediate deal to return the prisoners detained in Gaza while they were alive.

While the Prisoners' Families Association demanded - in a press conference - to meet with the War Council immediately and inform it of the latest developments regarding the course of the talks. US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said that Hamas' response had been received, and that there were some "very difficult" issues that needed to be resolved.

He added that work is continuing with Qatar, Egypt and Israel to reach a final agreement on the "hostages" and that this is now possible. Netanyahu rejects a request to increase aid. On the other hand, Channel 12 said that the Prime Minister refused to discuss a Qatari request to increase humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli channel added that the Qatari request was conveyed by CIA Director William Burns during his meeting with Netanyahu yesterday, and was aimed at pushing forward a possible prisoner exchange deal. It claimed that Netanyahu refused to discuss the issue until obtaining proof that the prisoners detained in Gaza had obtained medicines. that was sent to them.

Since October 7, 2023, Israel has been waging a devastating war on the Gaza Strip, leaving tens of thousands of civilian victims, most of them children and women, including more than 28,000 killed, in addition to an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe and massive destruction of infrastructure, which led to Israel being brought before International Justice on charges of genocide.