Gaza war goals: Israel blames Hamas for stalling prisoner exchange amid Cairo's deal proposal

Report by Amal Shehadeh, English adaptation by Yasmine Jaroudi

Israel, along with its political and security officials, has squarely placed the blame on Hamas for obstructing the prisoner exchange deal.

They assert that Hamas' leadership, particularly Yahya Sinwar, aims to keep the tensions high to achieve its goals.

However, discussions about the possibility of reaching agreements have not been entirely ruled out.

Simultaneously, a survey revealed that a majority, 43% of Israelis, support Cairo's proposal for the deal, even if it includes a permanent ceasefire and the release of Palestinian security prisoners.

Meanwhile, Israelis are divided on achieving the goals of the war declared by the Netanyahu-Gantz-Gallant trio, which include eliminating Hamas. In addition, 45% consider the goal unattainable, favoring an end to the war. An equal percentage supports continuing the war to achieve this objective.

Given these realities and numbers, the rhetoric threatening the continuation of fighting has escalated, as the feasibility of the deal before Ramadan seems increasingly unlikely.

The unsettling scenarios and the absence of a horizon to ensure calm have added to concerns on the northern front with Lebanon. Israeli security assessments indicate that the region could explode due to any exceptional event, extending its battle to various fronts.

After deeming diplomacy unsuccessful in reaching a solution with Lebanon to return settlers to their towns, internal discussions have begun to outline a timeline to determine the fate of the war with Lebanon.