The political correspondent for the Israeli newspaper Maariv said that one of the possible scenarios for the final proposal that the American side will present for the prisoner exchange deal may include asking Israel and Hamas to agree to all stages of the deal at once.

Anna Brasky quoted Israeli political sources in her report published by the newspaper today, Wednesday, that the American plan "will cancel the negotiations between the stages of the deal and require the parties to agree to all of them at once, which means ending the fighting and withdrawing the Israeli army from the Gaza Strip, transferring responsibility for the Philadelphi corridor to an external force, and providing guarantees that Hamas officials will not be eliminated, headed by the movement's leader Yahya Sinwar."

"Take it or leave it"

The correspondent highlighted the pessimism surrounding the fate of the deal after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that Israel will never abandon the Philadelphi corridor because it is a vital strategic need for national security, and she said, "The prevailing conclusion is that the deal is dead and what we see alive is in fact its burial ceremony."

Netanyahu will put it to a vote, not in the cabinet but in the full cabinet session, where Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich and members of their parties will oppose it, and the ultra-Orthodox ministers will support it, while the Likud ministers will be divided between supporters and opponents, and thus the agreement will win the required majority.”

The correspondent repeated what she had previously said about the Israeli prime minister’s position, which is that “Netanyahu does not oppose the deal and is not working to undermine the negotiations for political reasons. Strengthening his position regarding the strategic importance of the Philadelphi Corridor does not mean the death penalty for a hostage deal. At the same time, it must be precise: Netanyahu is not keen on reaching an agreement, but he does not oppose it in principle.”

She added that Netanyahu believes that “the combination of the complex domestic political situation and American pressure with the narrow security alternatives leads him to understand that not reaching an agreement is the worst option, and it is doubtful whether he, as the prime minister of Israel, is able to bear the consequences that accompany going for the option of disrupting the deal,” in her opinion.