Cairo prepares for tough round of negotiations as three issues separate Hamas and Israel from a final deal

Israeli public broadcaster said on Saturday evening, citing senior security and political sources, that three central issues remain unresolved between Israel and Hamas, representing the main obstacle to reaching a comprehensive ceasefire agreement. These files are expected to be raised during the indirect round of talks scheduled to take place in Cairo in the coming days.

According to the sources, Hamas has expressed clear reservations about the withdrawal map proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump as part of his plan to end the war in Gaza, arguing that the map leaves large parts of the Strip — particularly Rafah, the Philadelphia axis and Beit Hanoun — under Israeli control during the initial stages of the withdrawal. Hamas views this as an infringement on Palestinian sovereignty and a continuation of occupation in a different form.

The three disputed issues, according to Israeli sources, are:

1. Lines of Israeli withdrawal and the timetable for their implementation.
2. Gradual disarmament of Hamas — a point Israel insists on including in any agreement, while Hamas demands security and political guarantees before discussing it.
3. The prisoners issue, where Hamas stipulates the release of a number of Palestinian prisoners as part of a simultaneous deal tied to the release of Israeli detainees, while Israel refuses to link this file to any additional conditions.

According to estimates in Tel Aviv, Trump is insisting on his plan as presented and refuses to amend its provisions or link the prisoners’ deal to any parallel political track, which complicates negotiations and delays reaching a final understanding.

Israeli sources indicated that Israel’s delegation to the Cairo talks will carry a limited mandate focused on humanitarian and security files, while Washington and Cairo seek to narrow the gap between the parties in preparation for launching the first phase of Trump’s plan to halt the war in Gaza.