Negotiations regarding the exchange deal are continuing and Qatar: Any operation in Rafah will have a negative impact

Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majid Al-Ansari announced the launch of negotiations between Israel and Hamas in Doha, expressing cautious optimism about their paths. While the Hebrew media reported the start of deliberations in Israel regarding the outcomes of the negotiations, with the return of one of the officials accompanying the delegation.

On Tuesday, Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majid Al-Ansari expressed “cautious optimism” regarding the ongoing negotiations between Israel and Hamas, warning that any attack on the city of Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip, would disrupt the course of the talks.

Al-Ansari said in a press conference in Doha: “Negotiations on an exchange deal have resumed in all their tracks in Doha.”

He added: “Negotiations are ongoing, and we are cautiously optimistic, and the technical teams are meeting to discuss some details.”

He added, "It is still too early to talk about any breakthrough in the negotiations, but we are optimistic about that."

He pointed out that "yesterday's meeting came to convey responses between the two parties and included the Israeli response to Hamas' response."

The Qatari official noted that the Doha talks focus on humanitarian aid and achieving a temporary ceasefire.

Yesterday, Monday, the Israeli delegation, consisting of officials from the Mossad, Military Intelligence “Aman,” and the General Security Service “Shin Bet,” arrived in Doha after obtaining authorization from the Israeli War Council to discuss the details of the issues on the negotiating table.

The Israeli delegation participating in the truce negotiations in Qatar was headed by the head of the Mossad, David Barnea, and the coordinator of the prisoners and missing persons file, Major General Nitzan Alon.

In the same context, Al-Ansari said that any attack on Rafah would lead to “major destruction and an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe in war and will negatively affect the progress of the talks.”

He stressed: "We are trying with our regional and international partners to ensure the entry of aid into the Gaza Strip."

He stressed that the Israeli occupation must be held responsible for the safety of civilians and health facilities in the Strip.

Long and complicated

Meanwhile, the Hebrew Broadcasting Authority announced the return of "Mossad Chief David Barnea to Israel after participating in negotiations in Qatar, as discussions are expected to take place in Israel after the Doha meetings."

The Commission indicated that deliberations had begun between Israeli officials regarding the outcomes of the negotiations.

Barnea was accompanied to Qatar by a delegation that remained in the capital, Doha, in order to discuss and resolve the details related to the names of the Israeli prisoners detained in Gaza and the Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons.

The Hebrew Broadcasting Authority quoted a prominent Israeli official, which it did not name, describing the ongoing negotiations in Doha as “positive.”

However, the Israeli official expected the negotiations to be “long, difficult and complex.”

According to the Hebrew Authority, “Israel intends to present a proposal that includes a ceasefire for a period of 6 weeks, in exchange for the release of 40 kidnapped persons.”

She added: "Among the obstacles hindering reaching an agreement at this stage is Hamas's demand to determine the identity of the security prisoners who will be released (from Israeli prisons), and not to divide the Gaza Strip, which would allow the residents of its north to return to their homes."

Israel refuses the return of the residents of the northern Gaza Strip to their areas, and insists on the return of only women, children and elderly men.

Hamas also demands a comprehensive cessation of the war during the second phase of the deal, which Israel also rejects and says it is only prepared for a temporary truce.

Tel Aviv estimates that there are about 134 Israeli prisoners in Gaza, while it holds at least 8,800 Palestinians in its prisons, according to official sources from both parties.

A truce previously prevailed between Hamas and Israel for a week from November 24 until December 1, 2023, during which a ceasefire took place, a prisoner exchange took place, and very limited humanitarian aid was brought into Gaza, with Qatari-Egyptian-American mediation.