Hamas is to release 33 hostages held in Gaza in exchange for the release of around 1,000 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel during the first stage of a truce agreement currently being gestated, Israeli and Palestinian sources reported Tuesday.
The mediators – Qatar, Egypt, United States – have intensified efforts in recent weeks to try to finalize such an agreement, after 15 months of war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, triggered by the unprecedented attack by the Palestinian Islamist movement. on October 7, 2023 on Israeli soil.
Qatar said on Tuesday that an agreement could be reached “very soon”, with ongoing negotiations in Doha being “at the final stage”. Here are the main points of the first phase of the agreement revealed by Israeli and Palestinian officials and the media.
– Hostage/prisoner exchange
Israeli government spokesperson David Mencer confirmed in an online press briefing that Israel was seeking the release of “33 hostages” during the first stage. He added that Israel was prepared to release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in exchange. “Israel is prepared to pay a high price, hundreds,” he said, referring to the number of Palestinian prisoners.
An Israeli official who requested anonymity earlier said “several hundred terrorists” would be released in exchange for the hostages, although their final number will depend on how many people are still alive among the 33 hostages on the initial list. releasable.
According to two sources close to Hamas, Israel is expected to release around 1,000 Palestinian prisoners, including detainees sentenced to “long sentences”. The 33 hostages are among 94 captives still held in Gaza since October 7, among whom 34 were declared dead by the Israeli army. One of the two sources close to Hamas specified that these 33 Israeli hostages would be released “in groups, starting with children and women”.
According to the Times of Israel, Israeli officials believe they are all alive, but Hamas has not yet confirmed. Last week, Hamas said it had agreed to release 34 hostages in the first stage of an agreement. But Israeli forces recovered the body of one of the people on the list, reducing the total to 33.
– Israeli buffer zone
According to an Israeli official, negotiations for the second phase of the agreement will begin on the “16th day” after the first phase of the agreement comes into force. The second phase will concern the release of the last hostages, “i.e. the soldiers, the men old enough to be mobilized and the bodies of the dead hostages”, according to the Times of Israel. Israeli media reported that under the pending deal, Israel would maintain a buffer zone in Gaza during the first phase. Israeli forces should remain present up to “800 meters deep in the Gaza Strip, in an area going from Rafah in the south to Beit Hanoun in the north,” according to the source close to Hamas.
Israel will “not leave Gaza until all the hostages have returned, the living and the dead,” said the Israeli official. According to the daily Haaretz, Israel will authorize the movement of Gazans from the south to the north of the Palestinian territory.
The source close to Hamas explained that Israeli forces would withdraw from the Netzarim corridor – south of Gaza City, which cuts the Palestinian territory into two parts – but would remain deployed on the Salaheddine road, the main axis linking the south. in the north of the territory. An electronic checkpoint equipped with cameras will be installed on the Netzarim corridor, where “no Israeli forces will be present,” according to this source.
– Disagreements
Previous negotiations have stumbled over several issues: the duration of a ceasefire, the extent of humanitarian aid authorized to enter Gaza, the logistics of returning displaced Palestinians, the withdrawal of Israeli troops and governance. of Gaza after the war. It is unclear whether compromises have been reached over these disagreements.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is strongly opposed to a total withdrawal of troops from Gaza and has rejected any Palestinian governance in the territory. The ongoing talks in Qatar are taking place with Hamas and Israeli negotiators in two separate rooms and “a final round” of talks is due to begin on Tuesday, according to a source close to the talks.
Hamas is to release 33 hostages held in Gaza in exchange for the release of around 1,000 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel during the first stage of a truce agreement currently in the making, Israeli and Palestinian sources reported Tuesday. The mediators – Qatar, Egypt, United States – have intensified their efforts in recent weeks…
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