The American Politico website explained that Israeli officials are extremely optimistic about reaching a deal to exchange female prisoners and child prisoners with Hamas, despite the fact that the fighting between the two parties has continued for 36 days.
But these officials, whose names the website did not reveal due to the sensitivity of the issue of detainees, confirmed that such a deal – if it takes place – will be temporary and limited.
The website quoted two officials as saying that the deal would likely include a few dozen Israeli children and elderly people, some of whom already hold dual citizenship, including Americans.
They stated that the formalization of official truces in northern Gaza helped bring about progress in the exchange negotiations, through Qatari and Egyptian mediators.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had previously agreed to humanitarian truces for 4 hours a day, at the request of an American, after pressure from the administration of President Joe Biden that lasted about two weeks.
However, officials warned that several outstanding issues remained that could derail the deal, including Hamas’s failure to provide a full list of its detainees in Gaza.
According to them, Hamas is demanding a ceasefire or a humanitarian truce of up to a week.
Former Mossad officer, David Medan, who previously worked as Netanyahu’s coordinator for prisoner and detainee affairs, says, “There is something going on under the surface.”
He added that the humanitarian truces agreed upon by Netanyahu may help with “some positive steps.”
#Report #exchange #deal #Israel #Hamas #advanced #stage