The Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar, which has good sources within Hamas, reported Monday that Egypt is asking Hamas to wait for Israel’s response regarding the demands the Gaza terrorist organizations put forward regarding a possible prisoner exchange deal and parameters for the rehabilitation of the Gaza Strip.
Egypt has informed Hamas that its efforts to maintain calm are continuing and that there are positive signs in talks with Israel that significant progress can be made in the negotiations. An Israeli delegation is expected to arrive in Cairo this week to present the positions of the Israeli government.
Al-Akhbar further reported that the Gazan factions claim that progress so far is not enough to prevent another round of attacks on Israel.
On Sunday night, a Palestinian Authority source said in a conversation with TPS that he estimates that the new mechanism for transferring Qatari money through the United Nations and PA banks in the Gaza Strip does not constitute a real change from the current situation, as the PA will not be able to determine who receives the grants.
The source estimated that Hamas will work to ensure that the funds reach its people one way or another, and Monday morning Al-Akhbar reported that Hamas demands that names be added to the list of needy families and that it does not oppose the new mechanism.
Al-Akhbar added that Hamas may agree to transfer the funds through the banks and not in the cash suitcases as long as the funds arrive without deducting any amount from the grant intended for poor families.
