Egypt is on the verge of finalizing an agreement between Israel and Hamas for a temporary halt in fighting in exchange for the swap of Hamas prisoners and Israeli hostages, the Al-Akhbar news agency reported on Wednesday.
The media outlet added that the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) rejected the idea of "creating conditions for the release of prisoners" and prevented 12 of them from being released.
According to an earlier report from AFP, Qatari officials were close to reaching a deal between Israel and Hamas. The terms of the agreement involved the liberation of "12 captives, half of them Americans, in exchange for a three-day humanitarian pause."
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