According to the newspaper, the contract could be sealed within the next two weeks if the parties reach an agreement.
On Sunday, Paris is scheduled to negotiate a major draft agreement on the Gaza war, which has been twisted for the past few days in the negotiations led by the United States between Israel and Hamas.
The New York Times says that according to the preliminary draft, Israel would suspend its fighting in Gaza for about two months, and in return, Hamas would release more than a hundred hostages that it kidnapped in Gaza in October.
Although there are still significant disagreements between the negotiating parties, negotiators are cautiously optimistic about the creation of a final agreement, American sources tell the New York Times. According to the newspaper, the contract could be sealed within the next two weeks.
President of the United States Joe Biden discussed the draft agreement by phone with the leaders of Egypt and Qatar on Friday. The countries in question have acted as mediators in the negotiations between Israel and Hamas.
In the first phase of the agreement, the fighting in Gaza would stop for about 30 days and Hamas would release the women, the elderly and the wounded that it held hostage. During this time, Hamas and Israel would negotiate the details of the second phase of the agreement. In the second phase of the agreement, the ceasefire would still continue in Gaza for about 30 days and Hamas would release the Israeli male civilians and Israeli soldiers it had taken hostage.
In addition, the agreement would include the release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli prisons and the increase of humanitarian aid to Gaza.
The Hamas terrorist organization killed around 1,200 people when it attacked Israel on October 7th. In addition, the organization took around 240 hostages. More than 25,000 people, most of whom are women and children, have since died in Israel’s reprisals in Gaza, says the Gaza Health Organization under Hamas. It is not known how many of those killed in Gaza are Hamas fighters.
During a short-lived ceasefire in November, Israel released around 250 Palestinian prisoners and Hamas released around a hundred hostages.
Of the hostages seized from Israel by Hamas in October, 136 are believed to still be in Gaza. About twenty of them are believed to have perished.