2023-11-16 05:36:22
Negotiations between Israel and Hamas over a potential deal to release detainees held by the Hamas movement focus on the number of days Israel will allow a ceasefire in exchange for the movement’s release of some detainees, three sources familiar with the talks told Axios.
According to Axios, the indirect negotiations, which are taking place through Qatari mediation efforts, represent the most important diplomatic effort currently underway, which might lead to an end to the ongoing fighting since October 7, following the Hamas attack on the settlements surrounding the Gaza Strip.
Israel, which has been carrying out a ground military operation in Gaza and a violent aerial bombardment campaign for weeks in search of Hamas leaders and militants, said that it would not agree to a temporary ceasefire unless a large number of the 240 detainees held by the movement and other Palestinian factions were released.
Two proposals from Hamas
The website quoted two sources as saying that during the talks that took place since the start of the Israeli incursion into Gaza two weeks ago, the Qatari mediators presented to the Israeli government two proposals from Hamas:
First suggestion: Calls for the release of 18 detainees held by Hamas, including women and children, in exchange for a 3-day ceasefire.
The sources added that the Israeli war government rejected this proposal, saying that it would agree to stop the fighting for a period not exceeding 24 hours in exchange for the release of a very small number of detainees.
The second proposalThis proposal, which has been discussed in recent days, includes the gradual release of a larger number of detainees over a period of several days, during which the fighting stops.
The sources said that Hamas asked for the fighting to stop for 5 days. While Israel does not want the fighting to stop for more than 3 days.
Under this plan, on the first day of the ceasefire, Hamas will release 50 women and children it is holding in Gaza and can release them immediately, without coordination with other factions that have some detainees.
Washington continues its efforts to release those detained by Hamas
After that, Hamas will release another 10 detainees every day until the end of the ceasefire, and if the movement does not do so, the ceasefire will end.
The sources said that within the framework of this proposal, Israel will release Palestinian women, teenagers and the elderly in several groups of Palestinian women and the elderly detained in Israeli prisons.
Israel will also allow large quantities of fuel to enter Gaza under UN supervision for use in hospitals and bakeries, and will commit to allowing 200 aid trucks to enter Gaza every day.
The sources said that this will require cooperation from Egypt.
However, behind the scenes, one source said that negotiations were hampered by difficulties in communicating with Hamas leaders in Gaza, according to Axios.
Another obstacle
Since Hamas does not place all civilian detainees in Gaza under its control, it needs to reach understandings with the jihad movement and other factions when negotiating potential detainee releases.
The Islamic Jihad movement said it was detaining dozens, and another local group was detaining a small number of them in southern Gaza.
the current situation
Israeli and American officials say there are unresolved issues in the negotiations, and it is unclear whether an agreement can be reached in the next few days.
A source familiar with this issue said that the Israeli forces’ storming of Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza at dawn on Wednesday angered Hamas and might complicate the talks in the short term.
Joe Biden suggests the possibility of an agreement to release detainees in Gaza
Israeli Minister Yoav Galant said yesterday, Wednesday, that the ground operation in Gaza, which has so far killed more than 11,500 Palestinians, the majority of whom are children and women, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, increases pressure on Hamas to negotiate over the detainees.
Gallant said: “Hamas only understands force… They are now willing to pay the price for a short pause,” according to Axios.
The website indicated that Brett McGurk, President Biden’s senior advisor for Middle East affairs, and Barbara Leaf, the State Department’s chief Middle East diplomat, are expected to visit Doha next Sunday to meet with the Qatari Prime Minister and discuss the issue of detainees.
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