The Israeli newspaper Haaretz said that communications related to reaching a deal to stop the war in Gaza and exchange prisoners between Israel and Hamas were damaged following the Israeli bombing of the tents of displaced people in the Al-Mawasi area, claiming an attempt to assassinate Hamas leader Muhammad Al-Deif.

The newspaper quoted unnamed political sources as saying that Hamas had already announced that it would not freeze the talks, but progress in them was delayed, and not as it was before.

An air strike on the tents of displaced Palestinians in the Al-Mawasi area, west of the city of Khan Yunis, on Saturday, led to the death of 90 Palestinians and the injury of 300 others, including dozens of children and women, according to non-final statistics from the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza.

Following the bombing, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed, in a press conference, that he had targeted Muhammad al-Deif (the commander-in-chief of the Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas) and his deputy, Rafi Salama, but “so far there are no confirmations of their killing.”

The Hamas movement denied the validity of the Israeli allegations that this bombing targeted Al-Deif and Salama, and said in a statement that this is not the first time that the occupation has claimed to target Palestinian leaders, and it later turns out to be false, and that these false allegations are only to cover up the scale of the horrific massacre.

Negotiations are damaged

Regarding indications of damage to the talks on the stop-war and prisoner-exchange deal, Haaretz said that the head of the Israeli Mossad, David Barnea, did not go to Qatar on Sunday to complete negotiations on the deal, as was scheduled, and estimates in Israel indicate that his visit will eventually take place, without mentioning a date for it.

According to the newspaper, the security discussion that Netanyahu held regarding the deal with the heads of the Mossad and Shin Bet (General Security Service), Ronen Bar, on Sunday, was aimed at resolving internal Israeli disputes regarding the Prime Minister’s demands to prevent the passage of militants from the south of the Gaza Strip to the north, and to allow Israel to remain in the axis. Philadelphia as two conditions for implementing the deal with Hamas.

Hebrew media and Israeli commentators considered that Netanyahu's insistence on these two conditions would undermine the deal with Hamas.

Haaretz quoted another official Israeli source as saying that many internal discussions took place in recent days, some of which were led by the Prime Minister, in order to prepare to push for the deal and strengthen Israel’s position on the issues that are still open between the two parties, without providing clarifications regarding them.

The source added that at the same time, Israeli representatives are holding talks with the United States and mediators, and we assume that things will become clear within a few days.

The newspaper also quoted an unnamed foreign source familiar with the progress of the negotiations as saying that since the operation carried out by the Israeli army on Saturday, there has been difficulty in pushing the deal forward, adding that it is natural for Hamas to harden its positions and express its anger after such an event. .

On the other hand, Hamas leader Izzat al-Rishq said on Sunday in a statement via the official Hamas account on the Telegram application, that what some media reported about a decision by Hamas to stop negotiations in response to the Al-Mawasi massacre west of Khan Yunis is baseless.

For months, mediation efforts led by the United States, Qatar, and Egypt have been trying to reach an agreement between Israel and Hamas that would guarantee an exchange of prisoners from both sides, and a ceasefire that would ensure the entry of humanitarian aid into the Palestinian Strip.