The Israeli cabinet continues to debate concluding a truce agreement with Hamas movement, as ruling coalition parties seem to be in consensus to support the armys position in favor of a speedy settlement with the movement, despite an objection from Israel’s Security Services, the Shin Bet. Political sources said that the army chief of staff, Aviv Kochavi, convinced officials that reaching a truce with Hamas is a necessity, in order for the army to devote itself to facing the imminent danger from the north, hinting at Lebanese “Hezbollah” and Iranian forces and militias. Security and political leaders believe the situation in Gaza Strip must remain stable through extensive economic measures, according to Maariv military expert Tal Lev Ram. Israeli Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi seemed very excited about introducing a new formula; “truce with Hamas and escalation with Hezbollah.” In addition, the Defense Minister Naftali Bennett asked his staff to initiate persistent and continuous attacks against Iranian targets in Syria. The Defense Minister believes that it is time to change the strategy of attacking Iranian and Syrian targets only after finding out that military equipment was delivered to Syria. He explained that Israeli forces should strike Iranian targets until putting an end to the arms smuggling route from Iraq to Syria, and Tehran understands that investing in a confrontation with Israel is like getting into a “swamp.” Bennett also insists that this goal can only be achieved if the situation in Gaza is stable. In addition, a military affairs analyst at Yedioth Ahrenoth newspaper, Alex Fishman, quoted a military source as saying that the army is eager to reach an agreement with Hamas due to the dangers it predicts in the north. Fishman points out that Israeli army leadership opposes a strategy based on combat, but added that one missile on Haifa will change this stance. He indicated that if Tehran took advantage of the recent US attack in Iraq to punish Tel Aviv, it will benefit Israeli officials. Fishman considered 2020 “the year of a military confrontation between Iran and the United States.” He explained that if Iranians decide to use Israel to pressure the United States, Tel Aviv might face an armed confrontation in Syria and perhaps also in Lebanon. Therefore, the Israeli army needs to come to terms with Hamas, hoping to neutralize it in the event of war in the north. However, sources in Tel Aviv confirmed that Israeli policy and electoral issues might hinder a breakthrough with Hamas. Israel agreed to grant international-led projects which do not meet Hamas ambitions. Tel Aviv agreed to increase merchants’ exit permits from the Gaza Strip, from a thousand to 5,000 permits per day. It also granted approval to issues relating to improving the energy, electricity, and gas in the sector. Israeli authorities might also agree to admit thousands of workers from the Gaza Strip to Israeli territories, but Netanyahu fears the reaction from the public. The opposition will accuse him of favoring extremist Hamas over the moderate Palestinian Authority and families of the five Israeli prisoners will accuse him of neglecting their children. Before negotiating the swap deal, Hamas demands the release of all prisoners arrested by Israel after they were released during the Shalit deal. It would also be difficult for Netanyahu to agree to such conditions especially with his right-wing government, and despite optimism on reaching an agreement with Hamas, the deal still faces many obstacles.