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According to officials, Israel and Hamas are now negotiating two hostage release proposals, one involving a limited number of prisoners to be released and the other involving the release of 100 or more civilians detained in Gaza. According to Israeli officials, the Hamas terror group has around 240 captives in Gaza, with slightly less than half of them being civilians, and the broader deal reached would include the release of all of those people.
According to one of the officials, the initial proposal calls for Hamas to release 10 to 20 civilian hostages, including Israeli women and children as well as foreigners, including Americans, in exchange for a brief break in hostilities, according to one of the officials. It would be followed by a larger release of about 100 civilians if both of them agreed.
Although Hamas has refused to release any of the Israeli men of military age detained in Gaza, sources claimed. In addition, in exchange for the release of all civilians, Hamas is asking for a brief respite, as well as more humanitarian aid, fuel for hospitals, and the release of women and children detained by Israel, according to the official. According to The New York Times, Israeli authorities have indicated reservations about releasing their inmates. Qatar, which houses Hamas’ political offices, has served as the primary mediator in these discussions, along with senior US officials.
Furthermore, US authorities have backed the presented idea for Israel to pause its attacks in Gaza in exchange for hostage release, stating that this would allow humanitarian aid to reach Gaza and the hostages to leave after their capture.
Earlier in the day, US State Secretary Antony Blinken stated, “We’ll continue to focus relentlessly on getting our hostages home.” According to The New York Times, the Israeli Prime Minister’s office has refused to comment on the matter for the time being.
However, Hamas has told Qatari negotiators that it holds 20 or fewer people, with the others held by various factions in Gaza that are not part of the Hamas command structure.
However, according to the New York Times, the states involved in the talks have not independently corroborated this information.
Some Hamas officials have claimed in recent weeks that the terror group only stormed military installations in Israel on October 7, and that armed members killed over 1000 Israelis and took about 240 hostages in Gaza. However, according to the videos and other evidence, Hamas also attacked civilians in their homes, reported The New York Times.
Furthermore, Hamas officials told negotiators that they have all or nearly all of the Israeli military soldiers who were seized, estimating 130 to 140, and that they have no plans to release them anytime soon. However, no breakdown of military versus civilian hostages has been given by Israeli officials. Israeli and US authorities are skeptical of Hamas’ claims that it is not imprisoning many people in Gaza. (ANI)
source:In
