The US State Department said that Washington still believes that negotiations between Israel and the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) can continue, pointing to alternatives to a military operation that could eliminate the remaining leaders of the movement.

US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said on Wednesday that the department does not believe that negotiations between Israel and Hamas regarding the detained prisoners have ended.

He pointed out that the negotiations on a humanitarian truce in Gaza have not ended and have not reached a dead end.

He added that Washington believes that there is a possibility of continuing talks on the release of Hamas prisoners.

In response to a question from reporters whether a limited military operation in Rafah could eliminate the remaining Hamas leaders, Miller said, “Yes.”

The Foreign Ministry said that it has ideas about alternatives to the military operation in Rafah that could lead to the elimination of Hamas brigades there, she said.

The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation said - today, Wednesday - that indirect negotiations are continuing between Israel and the Hamas movement to reach an agreement to exchange prisoners and ceasefire, while the main dispute centers on the return of the displaced to the northern Gaza Strip.

Yesterday, Tuesday, Qatar clarified that talks are still ongoing between the parties at the level of technical teams, adding that there is no timetable for negotiations.

Last Monday, Hamas held Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responsible for the failure of the negotiations, and said that it informed the mediators of its adherence to the vision it presented on March 14.

This vision includes 4 main points: a comprehensive ceasefire, the withdrawal of the Israeli army from the Gaza Strip, the return of the displaced, and a real exchange of prisoners.

Since October 7, 2023, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza, leaving tens of thousands of civilians killed and wounded, most of them children and women, and massive destruction and famine that claimed the lives of children and the elderly, according to Palestinian and UN data.

Israel continues this war despite the issuance of a resolution by the UN Security Council, last Monday, for an immediate ceasefire during the month of Ramadan, and also despite being tried for the first time before the International Court of Justice on charges of committing genocide.