A new round of talks will take place in the middle of this week aimed at reaching an agreement to end the war in Gaza and allowing the return of prisoners from Gaza and those detained in Israeli jails. This comes amid anticipation of Iranian and Hezbollah responses to the assassination of former Hamas political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh and Lebanese organization leader Fouad Shukr.
According to the latest information, Israeli broadcasting authority reported from informed sources that the upcoming round of negotiations on Thursday is not expected to lead to breakthroughs but aims to rekindle the discussions for a prisoner exchange deal. The authority stated that the stagnation in the exchange talks has caused increased tension between the Israeli negotiating delegation and the political echelon.
Additionally, it was reported that American efforts in the region aim to pressure both Israel and Hamas to finalize an exchange deal. Leaders from Qatar, Egypt, and the United States had called last Thursday for Israel and Hamas to resume ceasefire and prisoner exchange talks on August 15 in Doha or Cairo.
In this context, Axios reported that American and Israeli officials stated that U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken informed Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant on Friday that he is considering a visit to the Middle East next week. These sources indicated that Blinken revealed to Galant that the aim of his visit is to join efforts to secure a ceasefire in Gaza and avoid escalation. They added that the chances of the U.S. Secretary's visit would decrease if there were significant escalations in the Middle East next week.
Simultaneously, the broadcasting authority reported from informed sources that "purposeful dialogue between Egypt and the Palestinian Authority is ongoing to take over the Rafah crossing." It further mentioned that "Egypt aims for this to be the first element in a plan aimed at gradually allowing the Palestinian Authority to control other strategic areas in Gaza after the war, despite Israeli rejection of the idea so far."
The report stated that "Palestinian Authority official Hussein Sheikh recently met with an Egyptian official in Ramallah to discuss the plan, which Cairo strongly supports and is likely to receive U.S. backing as well." Israel has taken control of crossing operations and has stated that it will not allow Hamas any role there in the future.
Days before the talks, thousands of Israelis demonstrated on Saturday evening demanding the finalization of an exchange deal. In a related statement, Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir told Channel 14 on Saturday evening that participation in the exchange negotiations meeting set for Thursday is a grave mistake by Netanyahu. He added, "We must continue to crush Hamas until they completely surrender; humanitarian and fuel aid should be stopped until all our prisoners return home, and this should encourage immigration and the permanent occupation of the Gaza Strip." He asserted today that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would be yielding if he accepted the deal.
