More than 130 hostages held by Hamas will finally be released and the terrorist group's leaders will be released, according to reports, in exchange for Israel's withdrawal from Gaza under a new deal drafted by Qatar. There is a possibility that they will be expelled.
Israel's war cabinet is scheduled to meet on Wednesday to discuss a new proposal put forward by Qatari negotiators calling for the permanent expulsion of Hamas from Gaza in order to restore peace to the Palestinian enclave, according to local Channel 13 News. That's what it means.
The agreement reportedly includes a provision for Hamas to gradually release all remaining hostages in the Gaza Strip, as long as Israel agrees to completely withdraw from the Strip.
Once the IDF and hostages escape, senior Hamas officials, who have ruled the area for 17 years, will also reportedly leave Gaza.
A potential deal is expected to face resistance from both sides as the conflict escalates since Hamas's devastating terrorist attack on October 7.
Although Israel has repeatedly stated that the war in Gaza will not end without the complete destruction of Hamas, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his war cabinet have expressed hope that they can end months of suffering for the hostages still held by Hamas. facing increasing pressure to accept gender-neutral agreements. Hamas.
Families of those detained are appealing for a possible path to the return of their loved ones.
The Hostage and Missing Families Forum, which has been demonstrating in Tel Aviv for weeks, called on the war cabinet to approve any deal proposed by Qatari negotiators. The previous agreement resulted in the release of more than 100 hostages in November.
“The report on the new agreement, which will be submitted to Cabinet tonight, offers a glimmer of hope to families worried about the fate of their loved ones who have been suffering without food for almost 100 days and nights in Hamas tunnels. , water and life-saving medical care,” the forum said in a statement on Wednesday.
He added, “The wartime cabinet must have no interest in anything other than the return of the abductees.'' “We demand that any deal that leads to their immediate release alive be approved!”
Despite Israel's apparent hesitation, it remains unclear whether Hamas will agree to a proposal that would force it to withdraw from Gaza.
Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh reiterated that Israel would only release the remaining hostages from Gaza if Israel agreed to release all Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli prisons.
“They will never take back prisoners until all our prisoners in occupied prisons are released,” Haniya told a news conference in Qatar on Tuesday.
While Israel's war cabinet was meeting, a delegation from the Jewish state arrived in Cairo to meet with Egyptian, Qatari and US negotiators about a possible ceasefire agreement in Gaza.
The talks in Cairo will also focus on getting Hamas to release more hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. The Times of Israel reported.
