Images of potential hostages held by Hamas (Reuters archive)
She said that it was possible to narrow the differences to some extent, but not enough to reach an agreement, explaining that if an agreement is reached, implementation will take place in two stages, the first in which Hamas will release 50 women and children in in exchange for stopping fighting for 5 days.
He also added that as the cessation of fighting continues for 5 days, Hamas will determine the location of other people and children who it says are being held by other factions, so that they can be released in the second phase.
Yahya Al-Sanwar
According to two sources, Yahya Sinwar, a Hamas leader, agreed in principle to increase the number of women and children to be released to more than 50, but asked Israel to stop aerial surveillance of Gaza for 6 hours a day. during the cessation of hostilities. Hamas members can search for detainees without Israel spying on them.”
“The ball is in their court”
Jabareen added that the overall framework of the agreement is “children and women in exchange for children and women.”
Relentless efforts
Several weeks ago, Qatar and the United States, in addition to Egypt, launched persistent efforts to reach a consensus between Hamas and Israel regarding the prisoners’ dossier, leading to some progress.
Interestingly, on October 7, Hamas launched a surprise attack during which its members infiltrated Israeli military bases across the separation wall and attacked settlements on the border of the Gaza Strip, which, according to Israel, it caused the deaths of approximately 1,200 people. The movement also took 240 hostages in the attack, taking them to Gaza.