The report on a deal - and the denial:
After the words of an Egyptian official in the "Al-Arabi Al-Jadid" newspaper today (Tuesday) according to which "there is progress in a positive direction towards the completion of an agreement next week", Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continues to disavow the words.
"Terrorists will not be released and the IDF will not withdraw from the Gaza Strip, there is no key to the release of security prisoners," he said today.
Video: Itay Beit-on /L.A.M., Sound: Yehezkel Kandil /L.A.M
Political officials involved in the efforts to reach a hostage release deal with Hamas say that ending the war is not on the agenda.
They stated that a lot of patience is required, regarding the agreement, but there is a possibility of reaching it.
Practically speaking, Israel expects to see what Hamas' answer will be in the meetings that will be held tomorrow (Wednesday) in Cairo.
In these talks, Egypt and Qatar will present to Hamas representatives abroad the general principles of the deal, as Israel agreed to them.
If Hamas answers in the affirmative, actual negotiations will begin on the practical details of the deal.
A political official emphasized that the principles presented by the head of the Mossad, Dedi Barnea, at meetings in Paris at the beginning of the week, presented only the boundaries of Israel's demarcation, and not the details.
After formulating the proposals, they are expected to reach the cabinet which will discuss them.
The steps discussed already at this stage include first the release of women and older men from captivity - about 30 captives in exchange for a ceasefire in the fighting, humanitarian aid and the release of terrorists.
In Israel there is a fear that Hamas will not complete the whole deal because it will want to keep some of the captives in its hands as bargaining chips for the continuation of the fighting, but they are interested in freeing those who are possible as long as it is possible to do so.
According to cabinet officials, Qatar is pressing for the release of thousands of terrorists as an alternative to stopping the war and trying to convince Hamas to accept an alternative formula.
The war cabinet and the expanded cabinet will have significant difficulty in approving the release of thousands of terrorists, Minister Ben Gabir has already put a gun on the table today regarding a threat to his continued participation in the coalition.
In addition, Israel made it clear to the mediators that the fire will continue for the duration of the talks in order that the operations in Khan Yunis will push for a deal under more favorable conditions for the Israeli side.
It was further clarified on Israel's behalf that it would not agree to the withdrawal of the forces, but the IDF may redeploy inside the Strip during the days of the truce.
Today, Secretary of State Anthony J. Blinken met with Qatar's Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani in Washington, DC.
The leaders discussed the importance of facilitating the immediate release of all hostages held by Hamas.
Minister Blinken also expressed gratitude for Qatar's necessary mediation efforts, especially since October 7.
They agreed to continue close coordination to provide increased humanitarian assistance to civilians in Gaza and to encourage the protection of civilians in accordance with humanitarian law.
"damage to our abilities as elected officials"
In the meantime, members of the Foreign Affairs and Security Committee from Likud and Religious Zionism sent a letter to the chairman of the committee, Yuli Edelstein, demanding to hold a discussion on the issue together with the head of the National Assembly, Tzachi Hanegavi, if there is progress towards a deal.
This requirement arises after in the previous transaction the members of the Knesset did not receive any details of the various considerations that led to the decision to carry out the transaction and regarding its details.
MK Dan Iloz, a member of the Foreign Affairs and Security Committee, wrote to Edelstein that "when a deal is made that includes the release of terrorists, the executive branch and the judicial branch give their opinion on it, but the legislative branch, whose role is to oversee the work of the government, does not receive any report and cannot exercise its role.
"This harms our ability as elected officials, members of the Foreign Affairs and Security Committee, to get a complete picture and determine an accurate position. At the cabinet meeting before the previous deal, a significant number of ministers were convinced to support the deal in light of the considerations presented to them even though they were initially opposed. The presentation of the considerations can also convince Knesset members to support or Alternatively, shine a spotlight on a deep problem in the deal and allow the government to clarify its position. The desire to keep the negotiations on a deal behind closed doors is understandable, but at the stage when the deal is ready to be revealed to the full composition of the government, there is no reason why it should not be presented at the same time to the Foreign Affairs and Security Committee."
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