The Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani received a phone call from Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdel Ati, during which they discussed the Israeli aggression against Gaza and joint mediation efforts.
The ministry did not mention additional details about the talks and their development, but what leaked through the Israeli press indicates that the conditions for completing an exchange deal between the resistance and Israel are still far away, especially with the approaching US elections.
The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation reported that the broad outlines presented by Israel in the Doha negotiations regarding the exchange deal with the resistance in the Gaza Strip do not explicitly include stopping the fighting or withdrawing from Gaza.
Israel and the United States had considered that the position of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) might change after the martyrdom of the head of the movement’s political bureau, Yahya Sinwar, during clashes with the occupation forces in Rafah this October.
The Commission quoted a foreign source participating in the talks as saying that the resignation of a senior member of the Israeli negotiating team is not a good sign. In the same context, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported – from a source familiar with the negotiations – that he warned that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s refusal to include a cessation of fighting in the swap deal proposal may It obstructs the talks.
The Israeli Kan channel reported – from an unnamed source – that Qatar and the United States worked to develop the Israeli proposal to include providing guarantees for a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza in the future in a broader deal.
Israeli losses
Haaretz newspaper reported that the security system in Israel believes that it is best to conclude an agreement to end the war in Lebanon and Gaza, including an exchange deal.
As Israel is exposed to major losses in lives and equipment, prominent military analyst Amos Harel stated in an analysis in Haaretz newspaper that “October, which has not yet ended, is the worst month in terms of Israeli losses since the beginning of the year.”
Despite the recent round of negotiations and somewhat optimistic American statements about them, Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper reported that officials are highly skeptical about the possibility of concluding an exchange deal with the resistance in Gaza before the American elections scheduled for next November 5.
The newspaper indicates that, according to estimates, Netanyahu will be exposed to intense pressure after the elections, whether from Donald Trump or Kamala Harris, who will demand that he seek to end the war in the north and south, strengthen the ceasefire, and release prisoners.