Donald Trump said on Tuesday that the parties were “very close” to an agreement on the Gaza hostages, while warning of “serious consequences” if negotiations failed. “I understand there was a handshake and they are close to a conclusion, maybe by the end of the week, but it has to happen,” the former US president said on Newsmax. A Hamas official told the BBC that three hostages would be released on the first day of the deal, followed by four more a week later. According to Israeli sources, the women would be the first to be released among the 33 hostages involved in the first phase.
The planned agreement would last 42 days with a ceasefire. Discussions on the second phase would begin on the 16th day. The exact number of Palestinian prisoners who would be released out of the 1,300 planned remains uncertain, Israel having given up demanding a prior list of hostages still alive.
“If they don’t do it, there will be a lot of problems – like they’ve never seen before,” warned Trump, who previously threatened to unleash “hell” in the Middle East if no agreement was not concluded before his return to the White House on January 20.
Israeli authorities are hoping for an announcement of the deal as early as today. After approval by the cabinet and the government, a list of prisoners will be published, followed by a legal minimum period of 48 hours for possible appeals to the Supreme Court.
-The deal would be structured in three phases, potentially reduced to two. It would mainly concern women, soldiers, civilians, people over 50, the wounded, the sick and children. “The majority of the 33 people on the list are alive,” estimate Israeli officials, who aim for implementation this week, before Trump’s inauguration.
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