The exchange of hostages held by Hamas for Palestinian prisoners has reportedly been discussed in the negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.
The war in Gaza has been going on for more than half a year. Negotiations between the Palestinians and Israel have been held several times since October without a breakthrough.
This attempt has been characterized in advance as the most serious attempt at a ceasefire. Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas said yesterday Sunday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, that the US should persuade Israel to abandon its planned ground attack on Rafah.
Israel also seems to be more ready than before to suspend armed actions. The relatives are pressuring the government to bring the hostages home. Last Saturday, thousands of people in Tel Aviv and other cities demanded the release of the kidnapped.
Prisoner exchange a key issue
Among other things The New York Times (NYT) magazine writes that Israel may agree to a prisoner exchange, in which 33 prisoners kidnapped by Hamas would be exchanged for Palestinians in Israeli prisons. The number of Palestinians to be freed has been speculated to be in the thousands.
According to the NYT newspaper, Israel is ready to reduce the number of Israeli hostages to be released in the first stage, in order to make the negotiations progress.
The word of the United States is also important in Israel, the alliance relationship is important for both countries. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is shuttling in the Middle East for the seventh time since the start of the Gaza war on the seventh of October last year. The abatement of the fighting would bring a positive boost to the presidential election campaign Joe Biden to the administration.
The allies are pushing for an agreement
Foreign Minister Blinken characterized Israel’s offer as “exceptionally generous”. According to him, the negotiation atmosphere is hopeful.
The Hamas delegation has been negotiating with mediators in Cairo, Egypt. According to information from negotiation sources, a high-ranking Hamas negotiator has stated that after weeks of negotiations, there are no longer any major disputes in sight.
If the talks go ahead, the truce could start tomorrow. Its duration has been proposed by the former British Prime Minister David Cameron’s including 40 days.
Cameron, too, said he hoped Hamas would accept the proposal. Both Cameron and Foreign Secretary Blinken will attend an extraordinary meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Riyadh.
Sources: AFP, Reuters