“There is no significant progress as we hoped. It is not a crisis and the talks are not interrupted, but it is not going smoothly,” said a source close to the negotiations . Israel is now waiting for Hamas to provide a list of hostages still alive, a crucial point for moving the discussions forward. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke to the Knesset about some progress, which he attributed to three factors: “First, Yahya Sinwar is no longer with us; second, Hamas hoped that Iran and Hezbollah would come to its aid, but they are busy healing their wounds from the blows we dealt them; and thirdly, Hamas itself is taking blows.”
According to available information, the draft agreement includes two distinct phases: a first “humanitarian” phase providing for the release of women, people over 50, children and the wounded, in exchange for a temporary truce of six weeks and the release Palestinian prisoners. A second phase would involve the release of younger hostages in exchange for an end to the fighting.
Points of disagreement remain in particular over the identity of the hostages who would be released in the first phase, with Israel seeking to maximize the number of living hostages who would be released. The issue of redeployment of Israeli forces during the temporary ceasefire also remains sensitive.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich strongly opposed the potential deal: “Now release hundreds of terrorists, send them to Qatar, Syria, Egypt and Turkey to rebuild the so-called 'Hamas leadership' ' – it's madness that will cost us dearly.”
Israeli negotiators now doubt the possibility of concluding an agreement before the end of the year, amid the threat of Donald Trump who has promised “hellish consequences” if the hostages are not released before his inauguration on January 20.
