The prisoner exchange deal between Hamas and Israel is under way

Israeli sources said that reaching a new agreement with Hamas on the exchange of prisoners may be possible within a month, and considered that this is an unlikely goal following statements issued by US officials in this regard.

This came according to what was reported bythe Israeli Channel 12, on Saturday evening.

However, Channel 12 reported that the negotiations are subject to extreme secrecy, as it’s feared that leaking any details will lead to the failure of the ongoing efforts and spoil the course of the indirect talks with Hamas.

The Israeli cabinet is scheduled to meet at 4:00 pm, Sunday, considering that the repetition of meetings at this level may indicate developments behind the scenes.

Channel 12 stated that Israel is dealing with the negotiations with extreme caution, considering that Hamas may fail them at any moment.

The Israeli channel claimed that what is new at this stage is what it claimed is the determination of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his insistence on reaching an agreement that leads to the release of Israeli prisoners in the Gaza Strip.

It quoted sources close to Netanyahu as saying that he is more determined than ever.

He said that this comes in light of what he described as Israeli successes on the northern front, the weakening of Hezbollah, the fall of the Assad regime, and developments that Israel considers to have significantly affected Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

According to the channel, Netanyahu sees the return of the prisoners as an absolute victory, a goal he constantly reiterates when talking about the war on the Gaza Strip.

Netanyahu believes that achieving this goal comes after what he describes as Hamas’ military defeat in the context of the ongoing war on the Strip.

Despite the cautious optimism promoted by Washington and Israel, Channel 12 reported that there are still obstacles to the negotiations, and said, “the main disagreement is over the number of Israeli prisoners that will be included in the deal, as Israel insists on releasing the largest possible number”.

The other issue which is considered thorny in the negotiations is the Salah al Din “Philadelphi” border axis between Gaza and Egypt, where reports indicate that Israel has agreed to a temporary withdrawal from it, but Israeli officials refuse to comment on these reports.

There are also differences over the nature of the deal itself, with opinions divided between a comprehensive deal that includes the return of all prisoners and an end to the war, and a partial deal that includes a temporary ceasefire.

The report stated that so far, no consensus has been reached within Israel on this issue.

Meanwhile, the families of Israeli prisoners continue to organize protests demanding that the government reach an immediate deal to release all prisoners, noting that the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip is about to enter its 436th day.

During a demonstration in front of the Defense Ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv (Kirya), Einav Zangauker, the mother of prisoner Matan Zangauker, who is being held in Gaza, sharply criticized Netanyahu.

She said, “From my conversations with the negotiators, I realized that you are planning to return a small number of prisoners and kill the rest through military pressure because you don’t want a comprehensive deal… You lied to us”.

She added, “I’ll never forgive you, and I will personally hunt you down if my son comes back in a bag… I’ll be the biggest nightmare of your life”.