Israeli media reported that officials in the Israeli negotiating team accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of wasting time, after he refused to hold a session of the mini-ministerial council for security and political affairs yesterday evening, Saturday, in order to send negotiators to the Qatari capital, Doha, to discuss the exchange of prisoners with the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and ceasefire.

Al Jazeera correspondent Najwan Samri said that the controversy escalated in Israel after Netanyahu refused to hold this session, noting that some media reports stated that he was not responding to calls from ministers in the war council.

It added that politician Aryeh Deri (one of Netanyahu's allies) demanded that the negotiating team not leave on Saturday, claiming that this would affect the sanctity of the day among Jews, which sparked severe criticism from the families of Israeli prisoners who accused him of not caring about the lives of their children.

The Al Jazeera correspondent explained that the Israeli negotiating team is expected to leave for Doha after the mini-ministerial council meeting is held this Sunday evening.

Alternative session

Meanwhile, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said that the security establishment under his leadership is “committed to exhausting all capabilities and taking advantage of every opportunity to return the kidnapped people to their families.”

Yesterday, Saturday, Gallant held an alternative session to discuss the possible deal with Hamas, according to what was reported by the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation, after Netanyahu refused to hold a session of the mini-ministerial council.

The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation said that Mossad Foreign Intelligence Director David Barnea participated in the meeting and is expected to travel to Qatar at a later time.

Yesterday, angry demonstrations took place in Haifa, Tel Aviv, and occupied Jerusalem, demanding the conclusion of an exchange deal. Demonstrators also gathered in front of the Israeli Ministry of Defense, demanding the dismissal of Netanyahu and holding early elections.

On the other hand, Israeli President Isaac Herzog said today that "it is clear to us that there is no victory in the war without the return of the abductees."

He added, "It is our duty to remove doubts among the families of the kidnapped, and this must remain above all differences."

As for Israeli Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz, he said that Israel is willing to pay a price in exchange for the return of detainees in Gaza, but it is not ready to stop the war, describing that as a red line.

Regarding the implementation of a ground operation in Rafah, Katz said - in an interview with the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper website - that this will happen because victory in the war cannot be achieved without entering there, as he put it.

Doha talks

Meanwhile, the Associated Press quoted Egyptian officials as saying that talks on a ceasefire in Gaza and the exchange of prisoners may begin in Doha this Sunday afternoon or tomorrow, Monday.

The Hamas movement announced that it had presented to the mediators in Egypt and Qatar a vision based on stopping the aggression, providing relief, the return of the displaced, and the withdrawal of the occupation.

Washington said that Hamas's proposal came within the framework of the deal that has been working on for months, and expressed cautious optimism about the upcoming talks in Doha.

Israel has been waging a devastating war on the Gaza Strip for more than 5 months, leaving tens of thousands of martyrs and wounded, most of them children and women, amid warnings from international organizations of famine - especially in the northern Gaza Strip - as a result of the occupation restricting the entry of aid.

Sources revealed to Al Jazeera the details of the proposal presented by the Hamas movement, which includes 3 stages, each of which lasts 42 days.

According to the sources, in the first phase, Hamas stipulated that the occupation forces withdraw from Al-Rashid and Salah Al-Din Streets to allow the return of the displaced to the northern Gaza Strip and the passage of aid.

The movement also requested, in exchange for the release of every living Israeli female soldier, the release of 50 Palestinian prisoners it identifies, with 30 of them being life sentencers.

The sources added to Al Jazeera that Hamas stipulated - in conjunction with the start of the second phase - the declaration of a permanent ceasefire before any exchange of its captured soldiers.

Hamas's proposal also included coinciding with the start of the third phase, starting the comprehensive reconstruction process for the Gaza Strip and ending the siege.

Source: Al Jazeera + agencies + Israeli press