Israel's dual goals: Qatar talks on prisoner deal and delaying war's end

Report by Amal Shehadeh, English adaptation by Yasmine Jaroudi

In a decisive move, the Israeli War Cabinet and the ministerial security cabinet of the Israeli government have finalized their stance, opting to send a delegation to Doha to continue negotiations on a prisoner exchange deal with Hamas.

This decision comes after Hamas presented new proposals through mediators, outlining a two-stage process. The first stage involves a six-week ceasefire and the release of 42 hostages held by Hamas.

Israel has deemed Hamas' new conditions unrealistic, particularly regarding the number of Palestinian prisoners it demands to be released and the insistence on Palestinians returning to the northern Gaza Strip.

However, some insiders familiar with the deal suggest that reaching a compromise remains possible.

Following the revelation of Hamas' conditions, the Israeli Prime Minister approved an operation in Rafah, coinciding with the military's start of evacuating Palestinians from the area.

Nonetheless, reports from Israel indicate that the army is not fully prepared to execute the operation as planned in the upcoming weeks.

Meanwhile, it has been disclosed that Washington has obligated Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant to sign a written commitment to use US-supplied weapons in the operation under international law.

Some Israelis view the operation's postponement as a mistake until the prisoner exchange deal is clarified.

Israel remains cautious about significant progress in the deal.

Nonetheless, Prime Minister Netanyahu sets two goals, according to insiders: to initiate the attack amidst increasing pressure from the US, Egypt, and Qatar to finalize the deal during Ramadan and to ensure a postponement of the end of the war, consequently delaying investigations into its causes and responsibilities.

Once again, attention turns to Qatar and the possibility of announcing the success of the prisoner exchange deal.