U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken begins a visit to Israel today, Sunday, as part of American efforts to advance a deal for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the exchange of prisoners and detainees, coinciding with cautious optimism in Israel and objections from the Palestinian Hamas movement.

- The ninth round in the region
During his ninth trip to the region since October 7, he will meet with Israeli leaders, and no other stops on his trip have been announced, unlike his previous visits which included meetings with leaders from several Arab countries in the region, according to Al Jazeera.

This trip comes two days after discussions in Doha regarding an agreement for a ceasefire and the exchange of prisoners and detainees, and Egypt, Qatar, and the United States - which is overseeing mediation in the talks - announced that the United States had presented a new proposal that "narrows the gaps" between Hamas and Israel.

U.S. President Joe Biden confirmed that an agreement on a ceasefire is "closer than ever," but Hamas leader Sami Abu Zuhri believes that "talk of nearing an agreement for a ceasefire is an illusion."

Abu Zuhri emphasized, in a statement reported by the French News Agency, that "the occupation continues to obstruct all efforts to finalize any agreement," adding, "We are not in the presence of an agreement or real negotiations, but before the imposition of American dictates."

An American official acknowledged that the negotiation process has not yet reached its "final stage," noting that diplomats are currently working on preparing a "cell" capable of quickly implementing the terms of any potential agreement.

Channel 12 Israeli reported that officials familiar with the matter said there is no reason for optimism unless Israel shows real flexibility regarding the deal, while the newspaper Israel Hayom mentioned that Netanyahu is determined to resume the war after the agreement is exhausted and is seeking a written American commitment to that.

- Cautious optimism
In contrast, Israeli negotiators returning from discussions in Doha yesterday, Saturday, expressed their "cautious optimism" to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and the Prime Minister's Office stated in a press release, "There is hope that the substantial pressure from the United States and intermediaries on Hamas can make it retreat from its opposition to the American proposal, which includes elements acceptable to Israel."

In previous rounds of talks, the Israeli Prime Minister set conditions for reaching an agreement, including maintaining control over the Philadelphia route and the Netzarim route, and placing restrictions on the return of residents to northern Gaza, conditions that Hamas strongly rejects.

For its part, Channel 12 Israeli reported details about the recent American proposal regarding the exchange deal and the ceasefire, stating that the proposal identified the number and names of the detainees who would be released in the first phase.

The list of Palestinian prisoners includes the names of 47 prisoners who were released in the deal for Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit and have recently been re-imprisoned.

Channel 12 also mentioned that the American proposal met most of Israel's demands without resolving the dispute regarding the Philadelphia and Netzarim routes.

For its part, the Israeli Broadcasting Authority reported officials as saying that "the disputes regarding the Philadelphia route can be resolved, and there is support for the American proposal."