Hamas, Israel may be nearing deal to release hostages, lift siege in Gaza
Hamas and Israel are close to reaching an unprecedented deal for Hamas to release women and children taken hostages in a recent terror attack. The negotiations come as Israel’s cabinet meets to consider the proposed deal. “We are making progress. I don’t think it’s worth saying more, even at this moment, but I hope there will be good news soon,” Netanyahu said.
In exchange for a four-to-five day pause in fighting, Hamas is demanding the release of three Palestinian prisoners from Israeli prisons for every hostage, who are expected to be women and adolescents. The hope is that one of the hostages will be the youngest American, 3-year-old Abigail Edan, whose parents were killed by Hamas. Currently, the hostages on the table for initial release are reportedly alive, and the negotiations are ongoing. The Israeli government aims for at least 50 hostages to be released, with the possibility of extending the deal if Hamas is willing to release more hostages.
An agreement would prompt the first sustained pause in fighting since the war began, but it is clear that the war would continue after the end of the pause. Hamas has also demanded hundreds of trucks of aid as part of the negotiations in order to run their military operations and ventilate their network of underground tunnels in Gaza. There may also be additional aid allowed into Gaza with an agreed-upon deal of 400 trucks a day.
The engagement of the United States is evident in the progress of these negotiations, and President Joe Biden has been personally involved in improving the proposed deal, with the hopes of securing the release of hostages, including a number of American citizens.
