Hamas has agreed to a U.S. proposal to initiate discussions on the release of Israeli hostages, including soldiers and civilians, 16 days after the commencement of the first phase of an agreement aimed at resolving the Gaza conflict.
This information was disclosed by a senior Hamas source to Reuters on Saturday.
The Islamist group has reportedly retracted its earlier demand for Israel to commit to a permanent ceasefire before finalising the agreement.
Instead, it is open to negotiating the ceasefire throughout the initial six-week phase of the agreement, according to the source, who requested anonymity due to the confidential nature of the talks.
A Palestinian official, involved in the international peace efforts, mentioned that if Israel accepts the proposal, it could lead to a framework agreement and potentially conclude the nine-month-long conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
An anonymous member of Israel’s negotiation team stated that there is now a genuine opportunity for reaching an agreement, a notable shift from previous negotiations during the ongoing Gaza conflict where Israel found Hamas’s conditions unacceptable.
A spokesperson for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Saturday. On Friday, his office indicated that discussions would continue the following week but highlighted that significant differences still existed between the parties.
The conflict has resulted in the deaths of more than 38,000 Palestinians, as reported by Gaza health officials, following Hamas’s attack on southern Israeli cities on October 7th, which killed 1,200 people and led to approximately 250 hostages being taken, according to Israeli authorities.
The new proposal includes provisions for mediators to ensure a temporary ceasefire, aid delivery, and the withdrawal of Israeli troops while indirect talks continue to implement the second phase of the agreement, as per the Hamas source.
Efforts to secure a ceasefire and facilitate the release of hostages in Gaza have intensified recently, with active shuttle diplomacy involving Washington, Israel, and Qatar, which is spearheading the mediation efforts from Doha, the base of the exiled Hamas leadership.
A regional source noted that the U.S. administration is keen on securing a deal before the presidential election in November.
Prime Minister Netanyahu mentioned on Friday that the head of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency had returned from an initial meeting with mediators in Qatar and that negotiations would continue the following week.
