According to the BBC and an Egyptian newspaper, Israel and Egypt are close to an agreement on the exchange of prisoners as well.
Israel and the Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas are close to an agreement in their long-running negotiations. The negotiations in Cairo and Qatar are aimed at a ceasefire and the release of prisoners taken by both sides.
On Saturday British broadcasting company BBC said, citing the Palestinian Authority, that 90 percent of the negotiable issues had been resolved. According to the BBC, the most difficult issue is the buffer zone to be established on the border between Israel and Gaza, which Israel wants to control.
According to the Egyptian publication al-Ghad, Israel would release 250 Palestinian prisoners from its prisons. In return, Israel wants Hamas to release its 34 hostages. These would be women, children, elderly or sick hostages. Al-Ghad’s report is told by an Israeli Times of Israel magazine.
The problem has become that Israel also wants the release of 11 men whom Hamas considers soldiers. Hamas agrees to release them if Israel releases more valuable Palestinian prisoners than originally agreed.
According to sources reporting on the negotiations, the ceasefire could enter into force in a few days, once the agreement is finalized.