Hebrew media outlets quoted Israeli officials on Friday evening as saying that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is placing new obstacles in the way of completing the ongoing negotiations to conclude a prisoner and detainee exchange deal with Hamas.

An Israeli official told Haaretz that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's demand to establish a mechanism to prevent the passage of "Hamas elements" into the northern Gaza Strip is a fatal blow to the negotiations.

The Hebrew newspaper added that the head of the Shin Bet, Ronen Bar, and the army's representative in the negotiations, Nitzan Alon, refused to let the Israeli delegation leave the Qatari capital, Doha, without a written response to "Hamas's comments."

The two senior Israeli officials demanded a response first to Hamas's comments on the broad outlines of the exchange deal.

The Israeli Walla website said that a summit meeting is expected to be held next Sunday between the head of Mossad, the head of US intelligence William Burns, the head of Egyptian General Intelligence, Major General Abbas Kamel, and Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani, the head of the Qatari government.

Axios reported, citing unnamed US and Israeli officials, that Burns is expected to meet with senior officials from Israel, Qatar and Egypt in Rome on Sunday in an effort to finalize an agreement on detainees in Gaza and a ceasefire.

American pressure

On Thursday, the White House said that US President Joe Biden stressed during his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the need to bridge the gaps in order to reach a ceasefire in Gaza.

He also stressed the need to remove obstacles to the flow of aid, in addition to protecting the lives of civilians during military operations.

US President Joe Biden welcomed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House on Thursday. Netanyahu personally thanked US President Joe Biden for his support.

A report by the Axios news website indicated that Netanyahu's visit to the United States coincided with a critical moment in the negotiations to end the war in Gaza.

Biden said earlier this week that he would spend his remaining time in office working with the Israelis and Palestinians to reach a deal on detainees and a ceasefire in Gaza.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told families of Americans held in Gaza during a meeting on Monday that Biden would press Netanyahu to complete the deal, according to two sources familiar with the meeting.