Members of Hamas and Islamic Jihad release Israeli hostages to the Red Cross, in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, November 28, 2023. (Flash90)
Hamas terror organization has reportedly accepted a proposed hostage deal and Gaza ceasefire, while Israel mulls the latest draft.
By World Israel News Staff
The politburo of the Hamas terror organization has accepted the latest draft of a proposed ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, during which Israeli hostages would be freed in exchange for the release of hundreds of jailed Palestinian terrorists, The Associated Press reported Tuesday afternoon.
According to the report, which cited two officials involved in the negotiations, the efforts to secure a deal are now nearly completion, and could be determined by Israel’s response to the latest proposal.
“Today, we are at the closest point ever to having a deal,” said Majed al-Ansari, a spokesman for the Qatari Foreign Ministry, saying the two sides have “overcome the major differences.”
“We have handed over drafts of the ceasefire agreement to both sides, and talks are now ongoing on the final detail.”
Hamas said in a statement Tuesday that talks were now in their “final stage.”
An Israeli official who spoke with AP, however, downplayed the claim, saying only that progress had been made, while adding that the details of a final agreement had yet to be hammered out.
AP claimed to have obtained a copy of the tentative agreement, which was verified by an Egyptian official and a member of Hamas.
Multiple sources who spoke with The Jerusalem Post said a deal could be announced in the next 24 hours, barring any last minute surprises.
“The next 24 hours will be pivotal to reaching the deal,” one official said.
According to a report by the BBC Tuesday, if the current proposal is adopted, Hamas will release three Israeli hostages on the first day of the ceasefire, with another four slated to be released in the following week.
In total, 33-34 Israeli hostages are expected to be freed during the first phase of a ceasefire, in exchange for the release of over 1,000 jailed Palestinian terrorists, including 190 serving life sentences.
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