Hamas announced on Sunday that the talks for a prisoner swap, held in Cairo with Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel ended. The Hamas delegation, led by Yahya Sinwar's deputy, Khalil al-Hayya, will return to Doha for "consultations with group's leaders."
At the same time, the security cabinet is convening at the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem, with Egypt expecting a response from Israel by Monday to Hamas's statement.
Various reports suggest that the terror group agreed to release 33 prisoners in the first stage, without committing to ending the hostilities, with further details to be discussed later.
According to Arab reports, Hamas is not willing to agree to a comprehensive ceasefire until the second stage. Nonetheless, Reuters reported, citing a source close to the matter, that CIA Director William Burns is flying to Qatar for an "emergency meeting" with the local prime minister, while the talks are "close to collapse." The source added that the U.S. and Qatar are expected to exert "maximum pressure" on Israel and Hamas to continue negotiations.
In an official statement, Hamas said, "The organization has conveyed its response to the Egyptian and Qatari mediators, and profound and serious discussions have taken place. We affirm the desire to reach an agreement that meets the national demands of our people, ending the aggression completely, leading to a complete withdrawal of IDF from the Gaza Strip, increasing aid, rehabilitating the displaced, starting reconstruction, and completing the prisoner exchange deal."
Security officials responded, saying, "This is not a surprising step; they don't want a deal. It won't bode well for the situation vis-à-vis Lebanon." While the security cabinet meets in Jerusalem, families of the hostages gathered outside, demanding a deal.
"We have clear goals for this war; we are committed to the eradication of Hamas and freeing the hostages," Gallant said during his visit to the Israeli-held Netzarim Corridor which bisects the coastal enclave.
"We are seeing worrying signs that Hamas does not intend to enter any agreement with us, implying that actions in Rafah and throughout the Gaza Strip are imminent."