Division within the Israeli negotiating team over the progress of Gaza talks

Israeli media revealed on Tuesday, August 12, the existence of a "division within the Israeli negotiating team" regarding the possibility of making progress in the negotiations aimed at reaching an agreement for a prisoner exchange and a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

The official Israeli broadcasting authority reported, citing unnamed informed sources, that there are "differences of opinion among team members regarding the feasibility of proceeding with the negotiations, even if a partial agreement is proposed." The authority did not disclose additional details about the nature of these differences.

In a related context, sources reported that a delegation from Hamas arrived in Cairo to discuss a new initiative that includes a "comprehensive deal" involving the release of the fifty prisoners held by them, and the issue of "disarming itself"; however, the movement has not officially commented on the visit or on any new Egyptian proposal for a ceasefire.

It is worth noting that Hamas has previously and repeatedly rejected any proposals related to "disarming itself or leaving Gaza," asserting that any future arrangements for the sector "must be made through Palestinian consensus."

On the other hand, the Israeli broadcasting authority anticipated that "international mediators will increase their pressure on Israel and Hamas in the coming days" to bring them back to the negotiating table.

In this context, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdel Aty said on Monday during a press conference that Egypt "is working tirelessly in cooperation with its mediation partners (Qatar and the United States) to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza."

Abdel Aty added: "We are pushing towards resuming the negotiation process in Gaza, and there is still a possibility if good intentions are shown and if there is a political will to reach a complete agreement and a comprehensive deal that ends the war."