DOHA/CAIRO, Nov 15 — Qatari mediators on Wednesday sought to negotiate a deal between Hamas and Israel that includes the release of about 50 civilian hostages from Gaza in exchange for a three-day ceasefire, an official briefed on the talks told Reuters. .
The deal, in talks, which has been coordinated with the US, would also see Israel release some Palestinian women and children from Israeli prisons and increase the amount of humanitarian aid allowed into Gaza, the official said.
It would mark the largest release of hostages held by Hamas since the Palestinian terror group stormed the Gaza border, attacked parts of Israel, and took hostages into the enclave.
Hamas has agreed to the outline of the deal, but Israel has not and it is still negotiating the details, the official said.
It is not known how many Palestinian women and children Israel will release from its prisons as part of the deal being discussed.
The scope of the Qatar-led talks have changed significantly in recent weeks, but the fact that the talks are now focused on the release of 50 civilian prisoners in exchange for a three-day ceasefire and Hamas has agreed to the outline of the deal. not previously reported.
A deal has been proposed to free about 50 civilian hostages from Gaza in exchange for a three-day ceasefire, Getty Images
The wealthy Gulf state of Qatar, which has ambitious foreign policy goals, has direct lines of communication with Hamas and Israel. It had previously helped mediate a truce between the two.
Such an agreement would require Hamas to hand over a complete list of surviving civilian hostages held in Gaza.
A more comprehensive release of all hostages is not being discussed, the official said.
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There was no immediate response from Israeli officials, who have previously declined to comment in detail on the hostage negotiations, citing a reluctance to compromise diplomacy or reports fueling what they consider “psychological warfare” by Palestinian terrorists.
Qatar’s Foreign Ministry and Hamas’ political office in Doha declined to comment.
Israel launched a relentless bombardment of Hamas-ruled Gaza late last month. AFP via Getty Images
Qatar, where Hamas holds political office, has led mediation between the terror group and Israeli officials to free more than 240 hostages. They were captured by Hamas terrorists when they rampaged into Israel on October 7. Israel said 1,200 people were killed during the rampage.
Israel then launched a relentless bombardment of Hamas-ruled Gaza and late last month began an armored invasion of the enclave, where more than 11,000 people have been killed, about 40% of them children with more buried under the rubble, according to Palestinian officials.
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Israeli Minister Benny Gantz, who is in the war cabinet, said at a press conference on Wednesday: “Although we are required to stop the fighting to return our hostages, there will be no stopping the fighting and the war until we achieve our goal. goal.”
Asked to elaborate on what was holding up the hostage deal, Gantz declined to provide any details.
Hamas has agreed to the outline of the deal, but Israel has not and it is still negotiating the details, the official said. via REUTERS
Earlier, talks focused on Hamas releasing up to 15 hostages and a three-day pause in Gaza fighting, sources in the Gulf and elsewhere in the Middle East said.
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There was no immediate comment from Qatar’s Foreign Ministry and Hamas’ political office in Doha.
Two Egyptian security sources said there had only been an agreement so far on a limited ceasefire in certain areas of Gaza. They said Israel had shown reluctance to commit to any broader deal, but appeared to be moving closer to doing so by Tuesday.
Obstacles
Hamas’s armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, said on Monday that it had told Qatari negotiators that it was prepared to release up to 70 women and children in return for a five-day ceasefire.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that “we have worked non-stop to free the hostages, including using increased pressure since the beginning of the ground invasion”.
Any agreement faces many obstacles.
It is unclear whether Hamas is currently able to compile an accurate list of hostages it has held since the war has caused communication and organizational problems in Gaza, a Western diplomat in the region said.
Collecting hostages for any simultaneous release, which Israel wants, would be logistically difficult without a ceasefire, another source in the region with knowledge of the talks said.
There was also uncertainty over whether Hamas’s military and political leadership agreed, although this was later resolved, as well as concerns that Israeli military pressure was making a deal more difficult, the same source said.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
