Israel and Hamas are reportedly working to broker a month-long ceasefire to allow for the exchange of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, but have not yet decided to close a ceasefire that lasted about four months. The deal is on hold because the two sides cannot agree on how to end it. old war.
Israel and Hamas appear to be close to a deal to release Israeli hostages in exchange for an end to violence, the release of Palestinian prisoners and additional aid to Gaza, three anonymous officials told Reuters.
The release of the more than 130 hostages still held in Gaza will be phased in, giving priority to Israeli civilians and ending with soldiers.
The agreement follows what one source called “intensive” mediation talks led by Qatar, Washington and Egypt.
One of the sources said Hamas initially proposed a break of several months, but Israel did not agree and the period was shortened to about 30 days.
The sparring group also cannot agree on how much it wants to negotiate at once, with Hamas refusing to move forward until the future terms of a permanent ceasefire are determined, while Israel is refusing to move forward one step at a time. The only hope is for negotiations to take place one by one, multiple sources said. Exit.
Palestinian officials involved in the mediation say Hamas wants to secure a “package deal” for a permanent ceasefire before agreeing to release the hostages. Israel and Hamas only have contact through intermediaries.
Brett McGuirk, the US special envoy for the Middle East, visited the region on Tuesday for the second time in a week to discuss the release of hostages, a White House spokesperson said.
Officials involved in the mediation process said they were working to persuade Hamas to accept a one-month ceasefire followed by a permanent ceasefire. Hamas rejects the deal without guarantees that Israel will not restart the conflict.
Abu Zuhri, a senior Hamas official, told Reuters the group was open to talks but no deal had yet been reached.
“We are open to all initiatives and proposals, but any agreement must be based on an end to the invasion and the complete withdrawal of occupation forces from the Gaza Strip,” Zuri said.
Israel offered to end the war if Hamas removed six senior officials from Gaza, but Hamas “absolutely” rejected the offer, an anonymous Hamas official told Reuters.
The list also includes Yahya Sinwar and Mohamed Aldeif, who are believed to have masterminded the October 7 Hamas attack and are now hiding deep in Gaza's vast network of underground tunnels. It is being
The shocking onslaught in southern Israel killed around 1,200 people, and the Israeli response left more than 25,000 Palestinians dead.
A week-long ceasefire in November resulted in the release of more than 100 hostages and about 240 Palestinian prisoners.
On December 28, Israel and Hamas again began negotiations to halt fighting.
Despite both sides holding firm to their positions, one of the sources said a deal could be reached “at any time.”
Comes with post wire.
