A Hamas official has denied reports regarding the resumption of negotiations with Israel aimed at reaching an agreement for a ceasefire and the return of Israeli hostages held in the Gaza Strip. The Hamas official refuted Israeli media reports claiming that ceasefire talks were set to resume in Cairo on Tuesday.
This denial from Hamas comes at a time when no mediators involved in the discussions have mentioned returning to the negotiating table between Hamas and Israel. A high-level Egyptian source stated to Egyptian media that "Cairo continues its efforts to reactivate negotiations for a ceasefire and the exchange of prisoners," without mentioning the resumption of talks.
**Lack of Optimism in Israel**
On the other hand, Israeli media reported a lack of optimism in Tel Aviv regarding negotiations to reach an agreement with Hamas concerning a ceasefire and the return of hostages. The newspaper "Yedioth Ahronoth" noted that there is little hope in Israel regarding the negotiations due to uncertainty surrounding the choices of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in the Gaza Strip. An Israeli source was quoted as saying, "It is too early to know what Sinwar will say."
Furthermore, the newspaper suggested that the mediating countries are also aware of this, as negotiations would start with discussions with Hamas, and then, depending on developments, the Israeli team would be called in.
Similarly, the newspaper "Maariv" remarked that there is a general lack of optimism in Israel regarding the resumption of the exchange negotiations. It revealed that Hamas continues to insist on its demand for a complete end to the war, indicating a difference between the resumed negotiations and the discussions that took place in recent months.
Additionally, Israeli broadcasting authority reported that a delegation from Hamas and Israel is expected to meet in Qatar, one after the other with the mediators. It continued that after completing meetings with each team separately following the resumption of discussions this week, it will be determined whether there is a basis for continuing negotiations.
An informed official had previously stated that mediation negotiations between Israel and Hamas are set to resume within days to reach an agreement for the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza. The source added that the decision to resume talks came after a meeting involving the head of the Israeli intelligence agency (Mossad) with the director of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency and the Prime Minister of Qatar, who is participating in the mediation.
