‘Progress was made; we see some progress in the negotiations,' says Gideon Sa'ar
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar said Monday that significant progress has been made in indirect negotiations with Hamas for a prisoner exchange deal.
“Progress was made; we see some progress in the negotiations,” Sa'ar told a joint news conference in Jerusalem with his Danish counterpart Lars Lokke Rasmussen.
He said Israel is working with the US to reach a hostage deal.
“There is progress, I said it looks much better than previously,” Sa'ar said. “Soon we will know whether the other side wants the same thing.”
The top diplomat, however, declined to give a timeframe for reaching a deal.
“I don't want to say more than that, because I realize there are families that are sensitive to every word and every sentence,” he added.
According to Israeli news site Walla, Israel is on the verge of finalizing a potential prisoner exchange agreement with Hamas.
The site, citing two unnamed Israeli officials and a foreign source, said Israel and mediators have reached an agreement on a draft deal for the release of captives held in Gaza and a cease-fire in the enclave, which has been presented to Hamas.
The sources claimed that the “mediators are awaiting Hamas' response to the draft,” seemingly attempting to shift responsibility to the group.
The sources suggested that Hamas' reply might come within the next 24 hours.
“It seems we are on the path to an agreement,” one of the sources said.
There was no immediate comment from Hamas on the report.
Meanwhile, the Jerusalem Post newspaper reported that Tel Aviv and Hamas are close to finalizing a cease-fire agreement, which could include the release of 33 Israeli hostages during an initial phase lasting up to 42 days.
The daily, citing unnamed sources, said that the first stage of the deal would involve the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, with the exception of an undefined security perimeter.
It said that on the 16th day of the cease-fire, negotiations would begin for subsequent phases of the agreement. These talks would aim to secure the release of all hostages held in Gaza and further Israeli military withdrawals.
The newspaper added that while the sources did not provide a definitive timeline, some expect the initial phase to extend over 42 days
There has been no official confirmation or response from Hamas regarding these claims.
Israel currently holds more than 10,300 Palestinian prisoners, while it is estimated that 99 Israelis are detained in Gaza. Hamas said that many Israeli captives have been killed in indiscriminate Israeli airstrikes.
The prisoner swap and cease-fire talk, mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the US, have been interrupted several times due to new conditions imposed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The Israeli opposition and families of captives accuse Netanyahu of obstructing efforts to reach a Gaza cease-fire and prisoner exchange deal with Hamas.
The Israeli army has continued a genocidal war on Gaza that has killed nearly 46,600 victims, most of them women and children, since Oct. 7, 2023, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.
The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants in November for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
