Yesterday, Sunday, the head of the Israeli General Security Service (Shin Bet), Ronen Bar, presented to the Security and Political Affairs Cabinet (the Cabinet) the details of the talks he held in Egypt regarding the prisoner exchange negotiations.

The proposals included "a truce in exchange for the release of a number of Israeli prisoners held by resistance factions in the Gaza Strip, without the withdrawal of Israeli army forces from the Gaza Strip."

However, Hamas insists that it is committed to the withdrawal of the army from the Gaza Strip and the cessation of the war as a condition for any deal, and there is "no confirmation that it is interested in the new proposal," according to the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation ("Kan 11").

The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation quoted an informed source as saying that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent the head of the Shin Bet to Cairo again to "improve the proposal" before the Egyptian side, which is not clear whether it is negotiating in coordination with Hamas.

In turn, the Walla website reported that the head of the Egyptian intelligence service proposed to the head of the Shin Bet a path for a "limited" deal with Hamas, with the aim of restarting negotiations on a larger deal.

According to the proposal, in the first stage a deal will be implemented in which a number of prisoners will be released in exchange for a ceasefire for a number of days.”

According to Walla, Defense Minister Yoav Galant and IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi expressed their support for the proposal during the meeting, while Ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich opposed it.

However, the report stressed that "the deliberations in the cabinet were preliminary and in-depth, and no votes or decisions were taken" in this regard.

Yesterday, the head of the Shin Bet visited Cairo and met with the new director of Egyptian General Intelligence, Hassan Mahmoud Rashad, and discussed negotiations on a prisoner exchange agreement between Israel and Hamas, after the assassination of the movement’s leader, Yahya Sinwar.

Reports stated that "the head of the Shin Bet visited Cairo today and met with the new head of Egyptian intelligence, Rashad, and the two discussed pushing for a hostage deal, after the assassination of Sinwar." It noted that this comes "within the framework of attempts to reach a breakthrough."

In a related development, an official in the Israeli negotiating team informed the families of hostages held in the Gaza Strip in recent days that the killing of Sinwar did not lead to a change in the positions of both sides regarding the possibility of reaching a prisoner exchange agreement.

The official stressed, according to what Haaretz newspaper reported earlier today, that in order to resume negotiations, Israel must "soften" its positions.

"Hamas' demands for an agreement are the same positions that have been on the table since July 2. There is no disintegration there, they continue to work. Hamas's apparatus is stable, although it has taken a hit," he added.

"They will appoint a successor to Sinwar first, then reorganize themselves again, and they are ready to continue the discussion from the same position, without flexibility, and perhaps they will tighten it," he continued.

He stressed that "the instructions to the security apparatus have not changed, that pressure should be exerted on Hamas in order to start negotiations."

According to the official, the Israeli security establishment's position is that the "military achievement" should be used to "move a deal."

He said, "There must be flexibility in Israel's position in order to enter into negotiations. Withdrawal from the Philadelphi corridor, for example. Without such flexibility, there will be no progress in the negotiations. I do not see Hamas softening now."