Mediators actively working towards calming the situation in the Gaza Strip have stepped up their efforts to overcome the current "stalemate" in negotiations taking place in Cairo, due to the widening gap between the demands of Israel and the Hamas movement. This week, the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), William Burns, is expected to visit the Egyptian capital in an attempt to advance the current round of negotiations. This move is part of efforts described by observers as "racing against time" to secure a ceasefire agreement before Eid al-Fitr, following the failure of efforts to reach a truce during Ramadan.

The news site Axios reported on Friday, citing two informed sources, that William Burns will travel to Cairo at the beginning of the week to hold discussions with the Director of Israeli Intelligence, Mossad, along with senior Qatari and Egyptian officials, in hopes of reaching a deal for the release of Israeli prisoners held by the Palestinian Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip.

These discussions come after a phone call between U.S. President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. According to Axios, a US official stated that Biden's stance remains firm on the immediate need for a ceasefire.

In the same context, Bloomberg cited Israeli officials saying that the ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas have "stumbled" due to "significant gaps" between the two sides, a statement confirmed by Hamas, which revealed no significant progress in negotiations.

The ceasefire negotiations resumed last week in Cairo with the participation of an Israeli security delegation, while a Hamas delegation did not participate in the negotiations.

Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Hamas's political bureau, stated on Wednesday that the movement stands firm on its demands, chiefly a permanent ceasefire, a full Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, the return of displaced persons to their areas, and the entrance of aid into the strip.

Haniyeh criticized Israel's stance during the ceasefire negotiations in a speech on "International Quds Day," condemning it for "evasion and stubbornness and not responding to our legitimate demands to stop the war and aggression."

"Merely Managing Public Relations"

Meanwhile, senior Hamas official Mahmoud Mardawi stressed that Netanyahu has not yet decided to make a deal with the movement regarding a ceasefire and the release of prisoners and detainees, indicating no progress in the negotiations so far.

Mardawi, in statements carried by the "Arab World News Agency," described the ongoing negotiations as "merely managing public relations," accusing the Israeli Prime Minister of "misleading through broadcasting incorrect information to the media to appear concerned and prioritizing the Israeli prisoners issue, portraying this image to the Israeli public and the international community as though he wants to strike a deal."

In contrast, Israel blames Hamas for the deadlock in the ceasefire negotiations, having previously accused the Palestinian movement of presenting "fantastic" demands in the indirect negotiations regarding a truce in Gaza. The statement emphasized that "Israel will not succumb to Hamas's fantastical demands and will continue to work to achieve the war's full objectives."

Dr. Ayman Al-Raqab, a professor of political science at Al-Quds University and a Palestinian politician, described Burns's visit to Cairo as "a new American attempt to achieve a political achievement." He noted that the visit reflects the Biden administration's desire to establish a truce before the U.S. presidential elections, especially in light of rival candidate Donald Trump's claims of being able to "stop the war."

Al-Raqab added that mediators' efforts are notably increasing to make a breakthrough before Eid Al-Fitr, engaging in a "race against time" amidst what he described as "difficult and complex" circumstances to dismantle the rigid positions and the divergence of visions presented by the Israeli government and Hamas.

The academic and Palestinian politician also discussed how the assassination of aid workers from the "Global Central Kitchen" organization casts a shadow over Israeli positions, causing embarrassment to the U.S. administration. This could contribute to a new approach towards mediation efforts, allowing for more aid to enter and opening the closed Israeli crossings.

Israel announced on Friday that it would open more aid routes to the besieged strip, allowing "temporary" aid supplies through Ashdod Port and the Erez land crossing, and increasing aid from Jordan through the Kerem Shalom crossing, as stated by the Israeli Prime Minister's office.

Hussein Haridy, former assistant to the Egyptian Foreign Minister, viewed the continuation of negotiations by Israel without real pressure as a "waste of time," pointing out that the U.S. administration "does not exert enough pressure on Tel Aviv" to compel Netanyahu to respond to ceasefire efforts.

Haridy noted that the war serves Netanyahu's "private interest," deeming it unlikely for him to cooperate with efforts to end it without "real and painful pressure on the Israeli military" from the U.S., specifically by stopping the supply of weapons and ammunition.

It is worth mentioning that intense efforts have been made by Qatar and Egypt, in coordination with the United States, over the past few weeks to achieve a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip, which has been experiencing ongoing war since October 7 last year. Since then, the fighting has only stopped for one week at the end of November last year, after a temporary truce was brokered by the three countries, during which dozens of prisoners and detainees were exchanged between Israel and Hamas.