Today, Tuesday, Israel submitted its proposal for a prisoner exchange deal with Hamas to the Egyptian and Qatari media, according to what was reported by the Israeli Broadcasting Authority (“Kan 11”), and indicated an expansion of the attack on Rafah, in which 4 military brigades are now participating.

The official Israeli channel quoted (unnamed) foreign sources as saying that the expansion of the military operation in Rafah creates obstacles to the talks, amid estimates that the negotiations will resume next week in the Qatari capital, Doha.

Eyewitnesses who spoke to Reuters said that several Israeli tanks arrived this morning in the center of the city of Rafah, three weeks after the start of a ground operation in the city located south of the besieged Gaza Strip.

Witnesses reported that they saw tanks near Al Awda Mosque, which is one of the main landmarks in central Rafah.

The Israeli army has not yet commented on this news, saying that it will issue a statement regarding the Rafah operation at a later time.