A hostage deal between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas could be signed by the end of the week, according to a report. The deal was imminent and the first stage of the agreement would reportedly see the release of 30 hostages, both alive and deceased, in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
The first stage of the pact is supposed to last some 45-60 days and the main points have been agreed on, The Jerusalem Post quoted Saudi website Asharq Al-Awsat.
Though there is no official confirmation, an Israeli delegation flew to Doha to meet with mediators on Monday. CIA director Bill Burns too arrived in Doha on Wednesday to meet Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani. Burns would "bridge remaining gaps between Israel and Hamas" on the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip and the hostage release deal.
Hamas has termed the meeting "serious and positive". However, several unnamed sources told Israeli media that a "deal isn't around the corner" though progress has been made in recent weeks.
Details of deal
While the first phase of the deal will include a seven-week ceasefire, during which women, children and elderly hostages will be released, the second phase will see all men, the soldiers, and the bodies of the killed hostages be returned. In the second phase, Israel will be forced to release a large number of prisoners which "will not be easy to digest" for Israeli authorities.
Israel will also complete its withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, with forces being allowed to remain in the eastern and northern border areas at this stage. The war will be declared ended at this stage and the blockade on the Gaza Strip will be lifted, including the opening of the crossings.
The agreement will also see IDF troops withdraw from cities within the Gaza Strip. However, they would remain in the Philadelphi and Netazrim corridors which run parallel to the border with Egypt and cut across central Gaza, respectively.
The deal would also allow Palestinian women and children to return to northern Gaza. However, an IDF supervision mechanism will ensure that Hamas activists and factions of other "terrorist organisations" do not take over the area.
The US is also mediating talks to bring a normalisation deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia and other Muslim countries. Israel is interested in these talks, especially with Saudi Arabia, since the latter has agreed to finance the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip the day after the war. President Joe Biden's people and the staff of President-elect Donald Trump are also involved in those negotiations with Saudi Arabia.