Prisoner deal negotiations: US optimism meets Israeli doubts

Report by Amal Shehadeh, English adaptation by Yasmine Jaroudi

Israeli skepticism persists despite US optimism for a potential prisoner exchange deal, following what has been termed as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's flexibility on the Philadelphi Corridor. 

The latest amendment involves the Israeli military's withdrawal from a distance of no more than two kilometers, with several monitoring points still under Israeli military supervision.

Netanyahu has shown some willingness to align with the US proposal by significantly reducing Israeli forces in monitoring points along the 14-kilometer corridor. 

However, the exact number of these points is set to be finalized in Cairo, where Netanyahu had initially requested eight points, while Washington and Cairo pushed for just two.

In another aspect of the US proposal, Netanyahu agreed to make concessions regarding Palestinian security prisoners, a matter where Israel had initially insisted on veto power over the number and identity of prisoners and their deportation. This concession was made in exchange for the release of four Israeli hostages, instead of three, each week.

While Netanyahu has pledged not to obstruct a deal acceptable to Hamas, security officials and insiders involved in the Washington-Tel Aviv talks doubt that the deal will come to fruition anytime soon. They cite Netanyahu's insistence on not entirely withdrawing the military from Gaza and his refusal to cease all hostilities in the third phase of the deal.

Military and security experts argue that the continued rocket fire into southern Israel and the failure to eliminate Hamas would return the security situation to its pre-October 7 state if the military were to withdraw from Gaza entirely. 

Despite Netanyahu's assurances to American mediators, he has privately expressed the possibility of the deal's failure to the recently released hostages from Gaza and representatives of their families.

As Hamas rockets continue to target southern Israel and Israeli protests, escalate before the Cairo talks, the northern front remains the focal point for military research institutions, which are maintaining their preparedness while awaiting the outcome of the prisoner exchange talks. 

The deal's results are now central to the security developments on both the northern and southern fronts.