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(A7) A senior Hamas official said on Friday that the terrorist group will respond “very soon” to a proposal that includes extended pauses in the fighting in Gaza and phased exchanges of Hamas-held hostages for Palestinian Arabs imprisoned in Israel.
Meanwhile, the head of Hamas’ political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, and the head of the Islamic Jihad, Ziyad al-Nakhalah, released a joint statement in which they stressed that “any agreement in Gaza must lead to the end of the [military] campaign, the withdrawal of the IDF from it and the lifting of the blockade.”
A senior Israeli official on Thursday urged caution on the prospects of a hostage release deal being reached with Hamas.
Speaking to NBC News, the official said that, given all the challenges, it’s unclear if the deal will come together.
“I don’t think it’s more than 50/50 it will materialize,” the official said.
Earlier on Thursday, The Wall Street Journal published details about the deal which was proposed.
According to the report, Israel and Hamas are considering a three-part deal that would see the release of Israeli hostages beginning with a six-week ceasefire.
In the first phase of the proposal being discussed, civilians including the elderly, sick and children will be released. At the same time, residents of Gaza will be able to move freely throughout the Strip.
In the next phase, which will only come if the first phase is successful, female soldiers will be released. According to the report, Hamas has demanded the release of 150 terrorists for every female soldier who will be released, a demand that has been defined as a “point of contention” between the sides.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday evening released a video in which he made a statement regarding the talks to reach a deal for the release of the hostages in Gaza.
“There is a lot of noise in the media about the efforts to get more hostages released, so I want to make it clear: We are working on another plan for the release of our hostages, but I stress: Not at any cost,” Netanyahu said.
He added, “I have red lines, among them: We will not end the war, we will not remove the IDF from the Strip, and we will not release thousands of terrorists.”
“We are constantly working to free our hostages and to achieve the other goals of the war: The elimination of Hamas and the promise that Gaza will no longer pose a threat. We are working on all three together and we will not give up on any of them,” Netanyahu said.
