Israel Pessimistic About Cairo Negotiations

April 12, 2024 Hour: 6:09 pm

The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation said, “Pessimism prevails among Israeli officials participating in the negotiations with Hamas.”

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The Kan channel, affiliated with the official broadcasting authority, said that officials within the Israeli delegation participating in the prisoner exchange deal negotiations with Hamas feel pessimistic about the approach of reaching an agreement soon.

According to the official channel, officials expect that the Palestinian movement will demand changes to the broad outlines of the proposal submitted by the mediators regarding the exchange of prisoners. Hamas is also expected to demand a ceasefire at the conclusion of the last round of negotiations in Cairo.

According to officials’ estimates, Hamas will respond to the proposal in the coming days, but will demand changes to the broad lines, which will make progress in the negotiations difficult.

The Hamas political bureau chief says the interests of the Palestinian people are placed ahead of everything else in the ceasefire talks with Israel. Ismail Haniyeh made the comment when he was asked if the killing of his sons in an Israeli airstrike will impact negotiations. pic.twitter.com/a7bIEF2Vya

— Palestine Highlights (@PalHighlight)
April 11, 2024

On Monday, an informed Palestinian source revealed to Anadolu that the new proposal outlines a three-stage plan for restoring calm in the region. One key aspect of the proposal involves the return of unarmed displaced civilians to the northern Gaza Strip, although specific numbers were not provided.

Additionally, the proposal calls for Israel to accept the opening of Al-Rashid and Salah Al-Din Streets, with Israeli forces stationed 500 meters away from these areas.

Commenting on the proposal, Hamas leader Mahmoud Mardawi said “The proposal submitted by the mediators clearly and explicitly ignores the ceasefire and does not acknowledge the necessity of Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza.”

In addition, an Israeli parliamentarian said on Friday that “it is impossible to remove Hamas from Gaza without controlling the Strip.”