Prevention of a conflict: Israel seeks to reach a ceasefire and agreement to exchange detained individuals in the Gaza Strip.

On July 7th local time, Israeli Defense Minister Katz stated that Israel is seeking an agreement on a ceasefire and exchange of detained individuals in the Gaza Strip. Katz said Israel's military operations in the Gaza Strip have two main goals, which are to defeat the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement and to rescue all detained individuals, but Israel now realizes it cannot achieve both goals simultaneously, so it has decided to seek an agreement on a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the exchange of detained individuals. Israel's public broadcaster quoted sources on July 7th as saying that the ceasefire negotiations in Doha, Qatar, regarding the Gaza Strip have not reached an impasse, and Israel and the mediators are maintaining ongoing communication and contact. According to the Saudi newspaper "Middle East Report," Hamas officials stated that the current round of ceasefire negotiations is more serious than previous ones and an agreement could be reached as early as this Thursday. Israel and Hamas began a new round of indirect negotiations on the ceasefire and the release of detained individuals in the Gaza Strip in Doha on the 6th. The first round of talks ended early on the 7th without reaching an agreement. The second round of talks continued in Doha on the 7th.