The main issue that led to the impasse in the negotiations on the abductees deal was Hamas's demand for the full return of Palestinian residents to the northern Gaza Strip. According to an Israeli senior official, the political level did not correctly assess Hamas' flexibility and gave the team too narrow a mandate: "The negotiations are dramatically stuck, this is not a show." under military pressure.
A source privy to the details of the talks said that the US, Qatar and Egypt see the return of the Israeli negotiating team from Doha as only a "time-out"