Hundreds of Palestinian prisoners are expected to be released in exchange for the release of hostages held by Hamas, the official said. A certain number of Palestinian prisoners would be released for each hostage. Among them are “significant” prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment. The representative emphasized that the fact that six hostages were killed a few days ago greatly complicated the negotiations. “It’s horrible and tragic,” the official said.
According to him, the first phase would release all women, all the wounded and all men over the age of 50. There are also plans to allow wounded Hamas fighters to leave the Gaza Strip safely.
Total during October 7 More than 1,200 people were killed in the Hamas attack in Israel and about 250 were taken hostage and taken to Palestinian territory. According to Israel, 101 people are still in the hands of Hamas. How many of them are alive is unclear.
Indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas for a cease-fire and the release of hostages have been going on for months, with Qatar and Egypt mediated in addition to the United States.
After the killing of six hostages over the weekend, Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu is under even more pressure to reach a deal with Hamas. However, he does not want to deviate from the strategic interests of his government and insists on control of the so-called Philadelphia Corridor. It is an approximately 14 km long section of the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt. Both Hamas and Egypt are demanding that Israel withdraw its units.
The US official stressed that the agreement does not explicitly mention the Philadelphia corridor. However, it provides for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from all densely populated areas in the Gaza Strip. Amid controversy over whether that includes the Philadelphia Corridor, Israel has in recent weeks submitted a proposal to drastically reduce its troop presence in the corridor. The complete withdrawal of Israeli forces is foreseen only in the second phase.
2024-09-05 07:09:03