The Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) said that reaching a ceasefire agreement in Gaza and a prisoner exchange is possible "if the occupation stops setting new conditions," while the White House expressed optimism about the progress of the negotiations. This coincided with conflicting reports about an upcoming visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Cairo.

Hamas said - in a statement published today, Tuesday, on its official website on Telegram - that it confirms "in light of the serious and positive discussions taking place in Doha today under the auspices of the Qatari and Egyptian mediator brothers (in the two countries), reaching an agreement for a ceasefire and prisoner exchange is possible if the occupation stops setting new conditions."

Hamas has repeatedly stressed that any prisoner exchange agreement must lead to a halt to the aggression on the Gaza Strip and the return of the displaced to their areas. It has previously accused Netanyahu of procrastination and setting new conditions to thwart efforts to reach an agreement.

In recent days, Israeli officials have spoken of progress in the prisoner swap negotiations, and a Netanyahu spokesman indicated on Monday that an agreement could be reached before US President-elect Donald Trump takes office on January 20.

The American position

On the other hand, the White House said that it continues to "work actively to reach an agreement on a ceasefire in Gaza. But what we understand from our team is that nothing is imminent yet."

Earlier, White House National Security Coordinator John Kirby said in an interview with Fox News that US officials believe Hamas and Israel are close to reaching a ceasefire agreement.

"We believe - and the Israelis have said this - that we are getting closer, there is no doubt about that. We believe that, but we are also cautious in our optimism... We have been in this situation before and we have not been able to get to the finish line," Kirby said.

Trump held a phone conversation with Netanyahu yesterday, Monday, during which they discussed stopping the war on Gaza and recovering the Israeli prisoners.

Trump described the conversation as "very good," while a spokesman for Netanyahu said the US president-elect told the Israeli prime minister he wanted to see the war come to an end.

Israeli news reports spoke of "unprecedented progress" towards reaching a swap deal, but also pointed to gaps regarding the number of Israeli prisoners to be released and the stages of implementing the potential agreement.

"Netanyahu is not in Cairo"

Meanwhile, there were conflicting reports about an upcoming visit by the Israeli Prime Minister to Cairo.

Reuters quoted informed sources as saying that Netanyahu is heading to the Egyptian capital today, Tuesday, to hold talks on a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

The sources added that a ceasefire agreement is expected to be signed in Gaza in the coming days.

However, a spokesman for the Israeli prime minister said that "Netanyahu is not in Cairo," and an Egyptian source denied to the Cairo News Channel news of an upcoming visit.

"Contrary to the Reuters report, Netanyahu is not on his way to Cairo. He may be there in half an hour, a day or a year, but at this moment he is not there," said Amit Segal, a journalist for Israel's Channel 12.

On the other hand, the Israeli opposition and the families of the prisoners continue to pressure Netanyahu to conclude an agreement to return all the prisoners from Gaza, and not a partial deal as reported in the local media.

Former Israeli female prisoners in Gaza said Tuesday that Hamas wants a comprehensive deal and "our government is looking for half-solutions."

"A partial deal will leave a scar in the hearts of Israeli society for generations," she added.

The opposition and the families of Israeli prisoners accuse Netanyahu of obstructing an agreement to preserve his position and government, as extremist ministers - including National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich - threaten to withdraw from the government and bring it down if he accepts an end to the war on Gaza.