According to the Israeli Broadcasting Authority, the head of the Shin Bet General Security Service met in Cairo with Egyptian officials. Within the framework of discussions about a deal to free the kidnapped Israelis, but it did not provide further details.
On the other hand, official Egyptian sources said that the Shin Bet chief’s visit “was limited to discussions to implement a humanitarian truce and the prisoner exchange issue.”
The visit comes at a time when US President Joe Biden said that daily discussions are taking place to ensure the release of hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, but he “does not want to reveal the details.”
The Israeli authorities estimate that about 240 people have been detained in the Gaza Strip since the unprecedented Hamas attack on October 7, which killed about 1,200 people.
Hamas has released only 4 hostages so far.
For his part, an Israeli diplomat told Sky News Arabia that internal pressure is still ongoing on the government. To offer what it has in exchange for the speedy release of the hostages; To avoid being killed in light of the development of military operations inside the Gaza Strip day after day.
Mutual terms
* Reuters said that Hamas informed mediators of its readiness to release about 70 children and women detained in Gaza, in exchange for a five-day truce.
* The Israeli Broadcasting Authority, citing sources close to the Hamas movement, reported that it requires the release of its kidnapped persons as a condition that 7,000 trucks loaded with aid and fuel be brought into the Gaza Strip.
* The sources explained that Hamas requires the release of 35 kidnapped women in exchange for 35 Palestinian security prisoners in Israeli prisons. It is also prepared to release living kidnapped civilians and those with foreign nationality in exchange for the release of 140 Palestinians who were arrested in Israel for reasons not related to armed activity.
* Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had indicated in an interview with the American network NBC the possibility of reaching an agreement to release hostages held by Hamas.
* According to a Sky News Arabia correspondent, there is “a lot of ambiguity about the deal in Israel, and a lot of leaks, each of which presents different, and sometimes contradictory, details.”
* An Israeli official said that Tel Aviv and Hamas are close to reaching a prisoner exchange agreement, under which Israeli women and children detained by the movement will be released, in exchange for the release of Palestinian women and teenage prisoners detained in Israeli prisons, accompanied by a “temporary ceasefire” for 5 days. days.
* For its part, the American newspaper “The Washington Post” said that Tel Aviv and the “Hamas” movement are close to reaching a prisoner exchange agreement, according to which Israeli women and children detained by the movement will be released, in exchange for the release of Palestinian women and teenage prisoners detained in Israeli prisons, accompanied by A “temporary ceasefire” for 5 days.
* Earlier Tuesday, Qatar urged Israel and Hamas to reach an agreement on the release of the hostages, warning that the situation in Gaza was deteriorating on a daily basis.
Internal pressure
In turn, former Israeli Knesset member, Yossi Yona, told Sky News Arabia that “there are negotiations and many behind-the-scenes that have not yet been revealed” regarding the implementation of the hostage release deal, as this file represents a major priority for the Israeli authorities since the Hamas attack.
Regarding the ongoing demonstrations of hostage families in Tel Aviv, Yona added: “Regardless of the pressure from the families, it seems that the government is actually interested in making every effort to have a deal under which the hostages are released, and this is evident from the continuous visits, whether in the visit of the Shin Bet chief to Egypt, or the comments of the Prime Minister and Minister of Defense.”
He continued: “Indeed, there are demands and pressures from Israeli families, and at the same time the Israeli government is making efforts to release the kidnapped people, and has announced that this is a major priority for it, but there are some details that are not announced until they are implemented on the ground.”
Regarding the position of the Israeli interior regarding the conditions requested by Hamas to complete the hostage deal, the former Israeli member of the Knesset said: “There are negotiations and it is possible that a ceasefire will take place or be presented to the negotiations through the Egyptian or Qatari mediator.”
But he pointed out that there is “a state of confusion” regarding this file, which has been under negotiation since last October 7. With reports that talk about the imminent implementation of this deal, other news comes out about Hamas’ withdrawal, but in the end, with something tangible and a settlement being reached, it will be announced. Reported by the Israeli government immediately.
Biden’s advisor in the region
In conjunction with this news and visits, the US President’s senior advisor for Middle East affairs, Brett McGurk, began a tour to the region on Tuesday, which included a visit to Tel Aviv and several other countries.
Regarding the connection of this visit to the prisoner file, former US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Middle Eastern Affairs Mike Mulroy said, in an interview with Sky News Arabia, that “the American hostages will likely be the most prominent priority on McGurk’s agenda, as the United States government is responsible for… “The first place is to protect the citizens of the United States, and that does not diminish the importance of everything else, but it will be a major priority.”
Mulroy explained that the American advisor would be interested in the release of the hostages, and would call for the importance of establishing a safe haven for civilians with a continuous flow of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.
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