Channel 12 quoted an Israeli official as saying that the response of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) does not include a ceasefire condition in the first phase of the deal, while anti-government demonstrators closed roads in Tel Aviv.

Channel 12, quoting an Israeli official, said that Hamas' response allows "the return of the kidnapped elderly, children, sick, wounded and female soldiers."

The Israeli official added - according to Channel 12 - that if Hamas violates the agreement, it can withdraw from it and return to fighting after the first stage.

Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper also quoted an Israeli security source as saying that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will sacrifice the kidnappers in order to buy some time until after his speech in Congress.

The newspaper said that US President Joe Biden is expected to make a call - today, Thursday - with Netanyahu to pressure him to accept the deal.

For his part, the Israeli Minister of the Diaspora said that government ministers have not yet been informed of Hamas' response, stressing that "the return of the kidnapped is one of the most important goals of the war, and has not deviated from our agenda and priorities."

He stressed that if the deal includes the release of 1 in exchange for 3, then this is possible, but in return they will not accept the withdrawal of forces and a cessation of the war, according to him.

The Israeli Foreign Intelligence Service (Mossad) said that the mediators (Egypt and Qatar) presented to Israel the Hamas movement’s response to the ceasefire proposal in Gaza, and Tel Aviv will study it.

This came according to a Mossad statement, published by Netanyahu’s office, via the X platform, yesterday evening, Wednesday. The statement said that the office will study Hamas' response and respond to the mediators.

Disagreement between the two systems

In this context, Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper revealed that there is a disagreement between the security system and the political leadership in Israel regarding progress towards concluding a new prisoner exchange deal with Hamas.

The Hamas movement said that the head of its political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, had made contact with mediators in Qatar and Egypt regarding ideas that the movement was exchanging with them with the aim of reaching an agreement that would put an end to the Israeli aggression.

The Hamas movement added - in a statement - that Haniyeh also communicated with officials in Turkey regarding the recent developments, stressing that it dealt in a positive spirit with the content of the ongoing deliberations.

Meanwhile, the New York Times quoted a knowledgeable official as saying that Qatar received a positive initial response from Hamas to Biden’s proposal regarding Gaza.

The source revealed to the newspaper that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu informed representatives in the Knesset of his openness to stopping the war.

Movements of prisoners' families

Commenting on Netanyahu's office's announcement that it had received Hamas' response, the Association of Families of Israeli Prisoners Detained in Gaza said that it would not allow the government to obstruct reaching a prisoner exchange deal again.

The Prisoners' Families Association threatened Netanyahu with millions taking to the streets if he did not accept a deal with Hamas. The authority added that the people of Israel have shown repeatedly in every opinion poll that they support reaching a comprehensive deal for the return of all detainees.

Israeli media reported today that anti-government demonstrators set fires and closed several roads in the Ayalon axis in Tel Aviv, amid disagreement between the security and political systems over the deal.

The demonstrators are demanding the conclusion of a prisoner exchange deal with Hamas, and the holding of early parliamentary elections.

Deal proposal

US President Joe Biden had presented a plan to reach a prisoner exchange deal between Israel and Hamas and end the war in the Gaza Strip, in a speech he delivered on May 31, during which he presented an Israeli proposal in this regard consisting of 3 stages.

Al Jazeera obtained a copy of the document on the basic principles of the exchange deal and the return of complete calm in the Gaza Strip, which is the basis of negotiations between Hamas and Israel.

The first phase - according to this proposal - will last 6 weeks, and includes a comprehensive and complete ceasefire, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from all populated areas in Gaza, and the release of a number of detainees in Gaza - including the wounded, the elderly, and women - in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners.

At this stage, the remaining bodies of Israeli prisoners in Gaza will also be handed over, and the Palestinians will return to all areas of Gaza, including the north, and aid will enter the besieged Strip at a rate of 600 trucks per day.

According to Biden's proposal, during these six weeks, Israel and Hamas will negotiate a permanent ceasefire, but the truce will continue if the talks remain ongoing.

The second phase will include the exchange of all living prisoners, including Israeli soldiers, and the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip, while the third phase will include the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip and the opening of border crossings.

Since the end of the previous truce at the beginning of last December, the indirect negotiations between Hamas and Israel have faced many obstacles as a result of the occupation’s insistence on continuing its aggression under the pretext of “achieving the goals of the war, recovering detainees, and achieving progress in the talks through military pressure.”

Source: Al Jazeera