The Israeli Channel 13 quoted an Israeli official as saying that Tel Aviv has not yet received a response from the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) regarding a potential prisoner exchange deal between the two parties. Israel is expecting a response from Qatar within the coming hours.
The framework of the agreement was formulated at the end of last week during a meeting in Paris attended by the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, William Burns, along with officials from Egypt, Israel, and Qatar.
Last Tuesday, the head of Hamas’ political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, announced that the movement had received the proposed deal that was being discussed as part of efforts to halt the war on Gaza and that they were studying it.
Israeli Channel 13 reported optimism regarding the possibility of advancing the deal, although the earlier announcement that it would begin at the beginning of next week was premature, according to the Israeli official.
Haniyeh in Egypt
This comes as Haniyeh arrives in Egypt today, Thursday, to discuss the new ceasefire agreement. Additionally, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will return to the region “in the coming days,” according to a US official, without specifying the countries he will visit.
According to a source in Hamas, the movement is considering a proposal consisting of three stages, the first of which focuses specifically on a 6-week ceasefire during which Israel is required to release between 200 to 300 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for 35 to 40 Israeli detainees, in addition to allowing 200 to 300 aid trucks to enter Gaza daily.
The movement demands a complete cessation of hostilities as a precondition for any agreement, while the Israeli government speaks of a ceasefire in the battles while refusing to halt its operations in Gaza.
Israel’s Security
On the other hand, Israeli Channel 12 reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu informed the families of the prisoners that he would approve a deal that does not harm Israel’s security, even if it lead to his government’s collapse.
The channel confirmed that the initiative discussed in the Paris meeting entails a calm day, followed by the release of every Israeli prisoner, followed by a week during which negotiations for the next phase will take place.
Israeli media also reported that the Israeli side is seeking the release of elite prisoners who were arrested during the initial stage of the exchange deal.
The channel mentioned that the head of Mossad, David Barnea, presented a “principles document” for the deal to the Israeli War Council, including the initial release of 35 Israeli detainees in Gaza, including women, the elderly, and the wounded, in exchange for a 35-day ceasefire.
The channel also stated that “the ceasefire can then be extended for an additional week to conduct negotiations on the possibility of completing the second phase of the deal, which includes the release of the youth and those Hamas describes as soldiers.”
The channel believed that “the essence of the dispute from the Israeli side lies not necessarily in the number of security prisoners (Palestinian captives) that Israel will have to release from prisons, but in their quality.”
Red Lines
Netanyahu confirmed that efforts are ongoing to reach a new deal for a prisoner exchange, but it will not be done “at any cost.” In a video released yesterday, he stated that he has “red lines,” including not halting the war, not withdrawing troops from the Gaza Strip, and not releasing thousands of Palestinian prisoners.
In response to this position, the Israeli Broadcast Corporation cited officials involved in the prisoner exchange negotiations, stating that Netanyahu’s statements might “severely harm” the agreement and could be an attempt “to sabotage the deal.”
Additionally, an informed Israeli official expressed concerns that Netanyahu could prompt Hamas to “sabotage the deal” with extremist statements made in recent days.
