Israel and Hamas for the first time in months are negotiating details of a possible deal to release Israeli hostages and for a temporary ceasefire in Gaza, according to two Israeli officials and a source with direct knowledge, Ednews informs referring to Axios.
Both Israel and Hamas are under intense pressure to reach an agreement that would release the hostages and begin a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, where more than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed. Since December of last year, the talks mediated by Qatar and Egypt have been deadlocked in discussion about a framework for negotiations, rather than details of the actual agreement.
The current proposal being negotiated could lead to a six-week ceasefire in Gaza and to the release of 40 hostages — women, female soldiers, men over the age of 50 and men in critical medical conditions — in return for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.
The hostage deal is a political hot potato in Israel with Netanyahu's ultranationalist coalition partners objecting to any deal that will include a mass release of Palestinian prisoners and that could lead to a permanent ceasefire.