An Israeli delegation of working-level officials led by Mossad personnel will travel to Cairo on Sunday at Egypt's invitation, seeking to present new proposals in an effort to negotiate a hostage exchange deal with Hamas.
Depending on developments, it will be decided whether to include Mossad Director David Barnea and Shin Bet head Ronen Bar in the delegation.
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Hamas leader in Gaza Yahya Sinwar and Mossad Director David Barnea
(Photo: EPA, Yariv Katz)
The main dispute between the parties concerns the return of Gaza civilians to the northern Strip. Hamas demands their unrestricted return, effectively nullifying the IDF-established security buffer that prevents Hamas operatives from returning north. Israel agrees to discuss only a phased and restricted return of residents to the north of the Strip, without dismantling the buffer zone. Mediators are now attempting to bridge the gap.
Israeli political sources said that resolving the dispute over the repopulation of the northern Gaza Strip would clarify whether Hamas is merely using negotiations to buy time. "If we resolve this issue, we'll know if Hamas is playing games with us or not," they added.
There is significant frustration on the Israeli side toward Qatar, which hosted most of the negotiation meetings until recently, for not exerting sufficient pressure on Hamas to accept the American compromise. As a result, the Israeli negotiation team, which had been in Doha for ten days, was recalled.
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Fallen IDF soldiers Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul and civilians Hisham al-Sayed and Avera Mengistu
According to public broadcaster Kan, as part of the negotiations, Israel seeks the return of civilians Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed, held by Hamas since 2014, as well as the bodies of soldiers Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul, killed during Operation Protective Edge in Gaza that same year. Israel insists on their release in the humanitarian deal.
Israel, which has so far engaged in discussions solely about the return of living captives, has for the first time proposed releasing prisoners freed in the 2011 deal for IDF soldier Gilad Shalit who were re-arrested, in exchange for the return of bodies. Israel agreed to release Shalit deal prisoners in the Paris framework, but Hamas demanded much more. Hamas has not yet responded to the offer, which is expected to be discussed in talks in Cairo.
An Israeli source familiar with the negotiations said, "We are constantly trying to advance the issue. The delays and lack of progress stem from Hamas's stance. The negotiation channels with the mediators are always open."