Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike on buildings near the separating wall between Egypt and Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, occupied Palestine, May 7, 2024 (AP)

The Israeli occupation responded to the mediators in the Gaza ceasefire talks by submitting its "reservations" about a Hamas proposal for a prisoner swap deal, a senior Israeli official said Thursday, as quoted by Reuters.

Moreover, the Israeli occupation declared that this round of talks in Cairo had ended, with CIA Director William Burns returning to the United States.

The US, however, said the talks had not ended and that its negotiating delegation was still in Cairo, saying there was still hope for the negotiations.

The Israeli delegation, on the other hand, is returning to occupied Palestine as the Israeli regime plans to proceed with its "operation in Rafah" and invasion of parts of the Gaza Strip as planned, the official added.

White House National Security Advisor John Kirby underlined that the United States believes there are better ways to go after Hamas than invading Rafah.

"Israel" undertaking a major Rafah operation will not advance the objective of both Washington and Tel Aviv of defeating Hamas in Gaza, Kirby added.

"Smashing into Rafah, in [US President Joe Biden's] view, will not advance that objective," Kirby told reporters.

Moreover, the White House communicated "concerns" to the Israeli occupation regarding the use of heavy bombs in Rafah, adding that Washington could help "Israel" target Hamas leaders, including Yahya Sinwar.

On another note, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said today the US fears that a significant military action in Rafah will make "Israel" less strong in negotiations with Hamas.

Miller stated that Washington and "Israel" are still working together to make changes to a cease-fire proposal that Hamas submitted, but that the process of finalizing the agreement's text was "incredibly difficult."

Hamas agrees to proposed deal

The Islamic Resistance Movement - Hamas informed mediators that it has agreed to a proposed prisoner exchange and ceasefire deal with the Israeli occupation, the movement's Media Office announced on Monday.

This was confirmed by a senior Palestinian Resistance official who told Al Mayadeen, "The mediators and Hamas reached a new, tight formula that would lead to a ceasefire, thus overcoming this dilemma."

"Hamas was extremely flexible in reaching an agreement, and the ball is now in Israel’s court," the source explained.

In its statement, the Resistance faction announced that the head of Hamas' Political Bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, held a phone call with the Qatari Prime Minister Mohammad bin Abdulrahman al-Thani and the Director of Egyptian Intelligence Minister Abbas Kamel informing that the movement has agreed to "their proposal for a ceasefire."

The Israeli occupation rejected the deal.

Most recently, Hamas had sent a negotiating team to Cairo, Egypt, for talks on a proposed deal that would see a three-stage prisoner exchange process and promises talks for a permanent ceasefire.

Hamas reiterated during the duration of the meeting that it would not accept a deal that does not include a written clause for a ceasefire between the two sides. Talks were ongoing non-stop from Saturday to Sunday between Hamas and the mediators, however, the Israeli regime did not send its delegation to Egypt.

As Hamas announced its approval and "Israel's" invasion of Rafah is imminent, the development marks a new stage for the war on Gaza and puts immense pressure on the occupation to stop its aggression, throwing the ball in its court.