A sweeping hostage deal could end the war in Gaza, free all captives, and see Hamas give up power, according to Egyptian and Qatari mediators.
By World Israel News Staff
Egyptian and Qatari mediators are proposing a hostage deal which would see Hamas free all Israeli hostages, living and dead, in exchange for a five to seven year ceasefire deal and full Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, according to a report by the BBC.
A Palestinian source told the British outlet that the deal would include a formal announcement of the end of the Swords of Iron War, along with the release of “all Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.”
From the BBC report, it’s unclear if Hamas would also release live hostages it kidnapped on October 7 who do not hold Israeli citizenship, including Nepali captive Bipin Joshi, and the bodies of foreign nationals from Thailand and Tanzania it is still holding.
The report indicated that the Hamas terror group would officially step down from power and allow an alternative entity, such as the Palestinian Authority or a new body, to govern the Strip.
The source speaking to the BBC claimed that Hamas is showing “unprecedented flexibility” in the ongoing negotiations.
A Hamas delegation is expected to travel to Cairo in the near future to review the proposal.
According to a report from Qatari newspaper Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, Israeli representatives are already in Cairo, though it’s unclear whether they have agreed to the proposed deal.
Days ago, Hamas rejected a ceasefire proposal from Israel which offered a six-week truce in exchange for the release of 10 living Israeli hostages.
The Israel-Hamas ceasefire collapsed in early March, after a nearly two-month-long break from the fighting.
During that ceasefire, 38 hostages – some of them dead – were released in exchange for Israel freeing thousands of Palestinian convicted terrorists.
