The American Wall Street Journal quoted Israeli sources as saying that Israel has so far rejected in the ceasefire negotiations the demand of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) for the displaced to return to their homes in the northern Gaza Strip for fear that Hamas will reorganize its ranks there.

The newspaper stressed that the point of the return of the displaced to the northern Gaza Strip has become thorny and sensitive in the ongoing ceasefire negotiations in Cairo since the beginning of this week, as Israel believes that the return of the population to the north will be tantamount to a political victory for Hamas, according to the newspaper.

The newspaper reported that the Arab and American mediators proposed a short truce for fighting in the Gaza Strip that might last a few days, to buy time for a longer ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, to reach an agreement before the month of Ramadan, which is expected to begin on March 10 or 11.

Rafah attack

In a related context, an Israeli official told the newspaper that War Council Minister Benny Gantz was surprised during his visit - last Monday - to Washington by the extent of the distance between Israel and the White House regarding whether the ground military operation in Rafah, which is crowded with displaced people in the far south of Gaza, is feasible.

While Washington believes that the Rafah operation is not implementable, Israel fears that a ceasefire and ending the war will allow Hamas to re-arm if the Israeli army does not launch an operation against it in Rafah, according to what the Israeli official told the newspaper.

The official confirmed that criticism and distrust of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dominate the US administration as a result of Netanyahu’s failure to adhere to the guarantees he provided to the administration of US President Joe Biden, especially with regard to the humanitarian aspect and the introduction of aid to the residents of Gaza.

Israel had threatened to begin its ground attack on Rafah on March 10 - that is, the beginning of Ramadan - if Hamas did not release the Israeli detainees, according to the newspaper.

The Qatari, Egyptian and American mediators in Cairo are trying to reach a truce between Hamas and Israel before the month of Ramadan, which usually witnesses tensions in occupied Jerusalem and the West Bank, especially with the occupation imposing security restrictions that limit the access of worshipers to Al-Aqsa Mosque.

US President Joe Biden stressed the importance of reaching a ceasefire agreement in Gaza before Ramadan, fearing the security conditions that Israel might witness during Ramadan.

Although Israel did not send its negotiating delegation to Cairo, the delegations of the mediators and Hamas have been engaged in talks since last Sunday to reach a ceasefire agreement, while the mediators expect that the ongoing talks will lead to a ceasefire in the coming days.

It is noteworthy that Hamas is demanding the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip, the entry of 500 aid trucks daily, and the release of dozens of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the release of detainees, as well as the return of the displaced to the northern Gaza Strip and reconstruction.