Dr. Diaa Rashwan, head of the General Authority for Information, described Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s moves, including pressure, troop mobilization, and the Chief of Staff’s statements about the goals of occupying Gaza City, as part of a “policy of the brink of the abyss.” He added in an interview with Amr Abdel Hamid on Al-Ghad TV that although Israeli military escalation is “not excluded,” it represents “part of the pressure towards negotiation,” according to statements by the extremist Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. Rashwan confirmed that “both possibilities are still valid,” but he “leans slightly more towards negotiation being the goal,” noting that this depends on what is happening in Cairo and possibly tomorrow or the day after in Doha, where the Palestinian delegation from Hamas will listen and decide.

He appealed to Hamas saying, “I address Hamas and repeat again, please do not delay in responding to the initiative; we have tried that two or three times, and the timing of the decision was the most important part of its success.” He emphasized that “Cairo will never convey to Hamas anything called raising the white flag,” pointing out that “the greatest criticism from Hamas was the big mistake or sin of Mr. Khalil al-Hayya, but no other Hamas leadership has ever spoken at any moment about Cairo pressuring to raise the white flag.” He continued, “Cairo and Qatar have a specific proposal; if Hamas sees in this proposal that it means raising the white flag, it has the right to reject it, and I do not think the mediators see it that way.

If they see it as perhaps a tactical retreat to serve the strategic victory of the Palestinian cause, which is now being achieved and increasing, then it should accept it but on its terms; no one imposes anything, but timing is important, the decision whether to reject or accept must be at the right time.” He expressed hope that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas would task his deputy Hussein al-Sheikh to invite all Palestinian factions to a session to join and recognize the Palestine Liberation Organization, regardless of the outcome of continuing or stopping the war, stressing the necessity of achieving national unity, especially as next month will witness many recognitions of the Palestinian state by world countries.

A source familiar with the matter told Sky News Arabia about a new initiative being worked on by Egyptian and Qatari mediators, with Turkish participation, to be presented to Hamas leadership, aiming to remove the pretexts of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for occupying Gaza City. The source said that Khalil al-Hayya, head of Hamas’ political bureau in Gaza, will arrive in Cairo Monday evening to meet Egyptian officials as part of intensive regional efforts to revive the truce track in Gaza. The initiative focuses on a comprehensive deal that includes the release of all living Israeli prisoners and also the bodies of detainees, in exchange for releasing a number of Palestinian prisoners. The initiative also includes Hamas agreeing to a new positioning map for the Israeli army under Arab-American supervision until a comprehensive solution is reached regarding Hamas’ weapons and governance issues.