Yedioth Ahronoth Discusses the Difficulties Facing Negotiations Following Hamas's Response

SadaNews Translation - On Saturday, the website of Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper published a report discussing the difficulties that may face negotiations after Hamas's response, which included some amendments regarding certain terms related to the proposed 60-day ceasefire agreement.

According to the Hebrew site, as translated by SadaNews, despite the optimism prevailing with U.S. President Donald Trump, the path to a deal will require more time, and the negotiations may take longer than expected.

According to the report, there are obstacles beyond Hamas's response and its amendments, related to who will determine the identity of the Israeli prisoners to be released and the identities of the bodies that will be handed over from the deceased. There will also be disagreements regarding the numbers and identities of the Palestinian prisoners to be released in return.

The Hebrew newspaper estimated that the number of Palestinian prisoners to be released may reach up to a thousand prisoners and around 100 of those serving life sentences. However, Hamas will demand the release of significant leaders, which Israel will oppose.

Regarding Hamas's amendments to the proposal, the report mentioned that the text of the agreement explicitly states that aid distribution will occur through agreed channels, including the United Nations and the Red Crescent, and does not mention the American Humanitarian Foundation for Gaza, where Hamas demands its removal from the scene and that the aid distribution mechanism aligns with the ceasefire understandings, indicating that Israel will not agree to end the American institution's operations, which the Trump administration will also reject, having allocated $30 million to transform it into the institution, as translated by SadaNews.

Concerning the withdrawal from Gaza, Hamas demands that the withdrawal process be gradual according to last January's agreement, but the new proposal points to a withdrawal according to maps to be agreed upon, indicating that discussions will be held regarding the scope of the withdrawal and the new borders.

The report stated that Israel will agree to withdraw to the "Mourag Axis," which is the corridor located in the southern Gaza Strip, also known as "Philadelphia 2", but insists on maintaining a perimeter of no less than 1.2 kilometers inside the Gaza Strip, that is 250 meters from the border fence.

Hamas demands a clear guarantee regarding Israel's non-resumption of war after the 60-day ceasefire and the continuation of negotiations, and so far, no formulation of the guarantee regarding this has been revealed, and Israel's stance on it is unknown despite the clear change in the positions of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Meanwhile, Channel 12 reported that Israel is not ready to accept Hamas's amendments regarding withdrawal and the entry of aid through the previous mechanism, suggesting that negotiations will take longer than expected, according to SadaNews translation.

Moreover, the political correspondent of Reshet Kan Hebrew Channel (the broadcasting authority) stated that the amendments requested by Hamas will pose a challenge for decision-makers in Israel, and intense discussions on this topic are expected to take place today and tomorrow.

It was also noted that the "Cabinet" will meet at 10 PM tonight to discuss the war in Gaza, negotiations, and Hamas's response.