According to Al Jazeera and the American "Politico" news network, at a time when the international community is constantly putting pressure on Israel, Israel's ** Herzog said on December 19 that Israel is willing to reach a new temporary ceasefire agreement with Hamas (Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement).
Israel has drafted a new agreement for Hamas to release 40 detainees and agree to a temporary ceasefire for a week, according to informed sources. Negotiations are ongoing, and no formal agreement has yet been reached.
According to Reuters, on December 20, local time, Hamas Politburo leader Ismail Haniyeh arrived in Cairo, Egypt, and sources said that he would negotiate with Egypt on issues such as a ceasefire in Gaza, allowing aid to enter Gaza, and the exchange of detainees between Palestine and Israel.
According to a Palestinian side**, Hamas's official position is to reject any new temporary ceasefire and instead demand a permanent ceasefire.
On December 18, 2023 local time, Israeli soldiers launched an operation in the Gaza Strip. (Source: Visual China).
According to sources, after arriving in Cairo, Haniye will hold talks with the head of Egyptian intelligence, Abbas Kamal, and others.
Reuters called the visit a "rare" personal diplomatic intervention, with Haniyeh's last visit to Egypt in early November, shortly after a week-long ceasefire between Hamas and Israel began.
A source with knowledge of the talks said the talks were tense and could lead to a breakthrough in a few days, "and it's too early to talk about expectations."
A Palestinian side said that Haniyeh will listen to whether Israel and Egypt have new proposals in Cairo on the 20th. The ** revealed that Haniyeh and Hamas have been praising Egypt's efforts, and Haniyeh is very willing to listen to Egypt's opinions in order to seek possible new initiatives.
The ** also noted that Hamas's official position is to reject any new temporary ceasefire and instead call for a permanent ceasefire, "and their will is not a humanitarian ceasefire." Hamas wants a definitive end to the war with Israel in Gaza. ”
An Israeli **high-level** reiterated Israel's position that the war can only end if Hamas releases all detainees and destroys Hamas, "as the Israeli Prime Minister said, the war will end with a complete victory [for Israel]." ”
A number of foreign media pointed out that the above-mentioned negotiations were held at a time when Israel was facing increasing pressure from the international community, which demanded that Israel stop its attacks on Gaza and allow more humanitarian aid to enter the besieged Gaza Strip, and even Israel's allies began to put pressure on it.
Over the past week, the United States has publicly called on Israel to scale down its all-out war, take more targeted action against Hamas leaders, and end what Biden calls "indiscriminate bombing."
According to Al Jazeera, Israel's ** Herzog said on December 19 that Israel is willing to reach a new temporary ceasefire agreement with Hamas to ensure that Hamas releases more detainees.
Herzog said Israel was ready for another humanitarian ceasefire and more humanitarian aid into Gaza.
Hamas said in a statement on the 19th that the organization refuses to conduct any form of negotiations on the exchange of detainees under the "ongoing Israeli genocidal war", but is willing to accept any initiative that helps "end the aggression" and open border crossings in order to provide assistance and relief to the Palestinian people.
Al Jazeera's Bernard Smith believes that the statement issued by Israel and Hamas on the 19th said that some progress has been made on a potential ceasefire, "The question is whether it is a temporary ceasefire that Israel calls a temporary ceasefire - a humanitarian pause, or a comprehensive ceasefire." ”
On December 18, local time, Burns, director of the United States** Intelligence Agency, David Barnea, director of the Israeli Intelligence and Secret Service (Mossad), and Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdelrahman Al Thani held talks in Poland to discuss matters such as a temporary humanitarian ceasefire and the exchange of detainees.
A source with knowledge of the talks told Reuters that the talks were positive, "however, a deal is not expected to be reached anytime soon." ”
According to the American "Politico" news network, an insider revealed that after the recent rounds of talks between the United States, Israel and Qatar, Israel has drafted a new agreement. The agreement, which agreed to a temporary ceasefire for a week, demanded that Hamas release 40 detainees, including women and children whom Hamas had previously agreed to release, as well as those in need of medical assistance, and allowed more humanitarian aid to enter Gaza.
The informed ** stressed that negotiations are ongoing and no formal agreement has yet been reached.
This article is an exclusive manuscript of the Observer.com, and it is not allowed to be unauthorized and shall not be allowed.