A deal to release Israeli hostages and begin a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip could be imminent, according to reports.
Officials in Jerusalem told Israeli media that Hamas has signed off on the deal, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his security cabinet expected to sign off on the proposal by Thursday, the Times of Israel reports.
“There is a breakthrough in the hostage deal negotiations in Doha. Hamas’ military leader in Gaza Mohammed Sinwar gave his OK,” one Israeli official told reporters.
Axios correspondent Barak Ravid cited US sources as saying both sides have already reached a deal, but other reports indicate that it hit a last-minute snag.
The latest developments in the deal forced Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar to cut his visit to Europe short on Wednesday so that he could take part in Netanyahu’s security cabinet meeting to vote on the potential deal, his office said.
Qatari Prime Minister Sheik Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, whose team has been mediating the negotiations, is expected to hold a news conference later on Wednesday to discuss the latest developments in the deal.
The current agreement on the table calls for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza that would last for a period of 42 days, during which Hamas would release 33 hostages.
The initial wave of hostages would include women, children, men over 50 and those who are wounded and sick.
Hamas has yet to provide a list of who those 33 hostages would be, as well as their condition and confirmation on how many of the 97 remaining hostages are still alive.
Israeli officials believe that about 60 of the hostages are still alive in Gaza, including three Americans.
As with the initial cease-fire back in November 2023, Israel would agree to free hundreds of Palestinian prisoners from jail in exchange for the hostages.
The exact number has yet to be agreed upon and will be negotiated once Hamas names the hostages it will release.
The outcome of the current deal, however, remains up in the air as Israel and Hamas have yet to comply with each others’ top demands.
Hamas has repeatedly rejected previous proposals unless Israel agrees to fully withdraw from the Gaza Strip, and the Jewish State says it would not leave the Palestinian territory until the terror group is completely wiped out.
Qatari leader Al Thani’s office, however, said that Hamas had finally handed over its approval to the deal on Wednesday afternoon, with the terror group condemning the claims as “nonsense.”
Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari told reporters Tuesday that Israel and Hamas are at their “closest point” in reaching a deal that could end the war, which has gone on for 15 months.
“We believe that we have reached the final stages,” al-Ansari said, while warning the world to temper its expectations should the deal collapse at the last moment.
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