A source familiar with the truce negotiations and the exchange of detainees between Hamas and Israel said on Tuesday that a deal between the two parties is imminent and may be reached within a few days if some of the problems hindering implementation are quickly resolved.

The source close to the mediators revealed to the Arab World News Agency (AWP) that the Egyptian proposal is accepted by both parties, but the problem relates to the number of detainees held by Hamas of the age group and job nature required to be released within the proposal.

Hamas previously said that it was able to identify 20 detainees, including the elderly, the sick, and women, while the Israelis are demanding the release of between 35 and 40 detainees.

The source said, "This obstacle can be overcome through the number of days of calm that can be agreed upon, as what is proposed is six weeks, and these days may be reduced if Hamas is unable to release more than 20 detainees."

The source explained that Hamas has not yet abandoned its previous demand to declare the end of the war on the Gaza Strip, but it is now prepared to discuss this matter during the truce period and the implementation of the first part of the deal.

He stressed that Hamas's response to the Egyptian proposal has not yet come, but he expected it to include a demand for clarification on the issue of the return of civilians to northern Gaza, their numbers, and whether their return will be limited and will take place within the framework of controls.

Meanwhile, Israel is still threatening the ground operation in Rafah to put more pressure on the Hamas movement in order to apparently make progress in the deal, as the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu twice backed down from initiating the ground operation after the decision was Ready.

The commission added, “With increasing international pressure in the background against Israeli operations in the southern Gaza Strip, and coinciding with the mediators’ attempts to reach a new agreement to release detainees, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided to halt the operation in Rafah for the time being, after two dates had already been set for the start of the operation.” But if attempts to reach an agreement fail, it is expected that the process will begin in the near future.”

According to the broadcasting authority, Israel agreed to withdraw its forces from the corridor separating the northern Gaza Strip from its south, as part of what it considered greater flexibility in the negotiations.

However, the Commission's Channel 12 said that although politicians in Israel agreed to withdraw from the corridor, the Israeli security services expressed reservations about Hamas's demand to open the corridor for fear of the movement's militants returning to the northern Gaza Strip.

Cairo News TV reported last night that the Hamas delegation left the Egyptian capital and would return again with a written response to the truce deal proposal.

Sama News