Against the background of the entry of Israeli tanks into the town of Rafah on the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt and the difficult-to-predict situation, there is still a window to reach a truce, writes "Al Ahram", quoted by BTA, citing informed sources.
The Egyptian publication summarized that the mediators had made progress in defining the key points of a possible agreement, although more work remains to complete it.
According to the sources, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is under serious domestic and international pressure. On the one hand, there are calls for a ground operation in Rafah and the complete removal of "Hamas", and on the other - for a limited intervention, so as to avoid a humanitarian tragedy that would undermine the authority of the mediators and especially the US.
"Within days, perhaps by Sunday, Netanyahu could begin withdrawing his tanks from Rafah, declaring a much-needed political and military victory for his domestic purposes, and move toward an agreement to end the war that is 90 percent done,” says one of the sources.
"This means that instead of launching a full-scale ground operation with a high humanitarian cost, Netanyahu could opt for a limited intervention and a deal that would provide him with political benefits,”, he explains.
According to Cairo-based diplomatic sources, the Israeli prime minister will have to secure two key conditions - the handover of all those held by "Hamas" hostages, including the dead, and arrangements for a long-term suspension of all resistance, including rocket fire by "Hamas" and other Palestinian factions. Both conditions are stipulated in the draft armistice agreement.
An Egyptian source said the question now is what Israel is willing to give in return. According to him, in response to the return of all hostages and the cessation of hostilities, which is expected to happen within about three months, Israel must commit to a cessation of hostilities, an end to restrictions on the delivery of humanitarian shipments and construction materials, and synchronized release of Palestinians detained in Israeli prisons.
On Tuesday afternoon, Netanyahu sent a negotiating team to Cairo after twice canceling his trip in the past two weeks. Egypt was also expecting the simultaneous arrival of a high-ranking delegation from "Hamas", Qatari representatives and US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director William Burns, who is traveling between Cairo and Doha.
According to an Egyptian source, "talks are continuing and we hope for a deal maybe next week." He adds that what remains to be clarified has more to do with language than content.
On Monday, however, Benjamin Netanyahu hinted otherwise. Hours after "Hamas" announced that he accepted the latest version of the agreement, the Israeli prime minister said that he would not be able to work with the project from May 5 and that the version he saw a few days earlier was different.
Sources close to the negotiations, however, claim that Netanyahu is bluffing. "There aren't that many inconsistencies. Netanyahu knows this, but he must appear steadfast until the last minute. Everything is for internal consumption."
According to another representative, who wished to remain anonymous, several months after the start of the war, Netanyahu did not achieve his goals of eliminating the leaders of "Hamas" or release the hostages. “He needs a deal to achieve that.” US President Joe Biden also needs a deal, given the sharp criticism of his administration's unconditional support for Israel and the possible effect on the vote for Democrats. "The clock is ticking for Biden, so he stopped sending ammunition to Israel last week. He wants to be sure that Netanyahu will agree to a limited operation in Rafah, as Washington has long proposed."
A Cairo-based foreign diplomat believes two scenarios are possible for Israel's operation in Gaza - one a limited incursion for about a week, the other a six-week operation that will result in numerous civilian casualties, chaos on the border with Egypt and possible liquidation of high-ranking figures of "Hamas". "It is true that American pressure on Netanyahu is increasing, but if Netanyahu believes that he can release some of the hostages and kill military leaders of "Hamas" with a longer operation, he will almost certainly undertake it", notes the diplomat. "Never underestimate Netanyahu's ability to manipulate and influence ultra-Orthodox and right-wing voters," he warns.