Qatari mediators are seeking to negotiate a deal between Israel and Hamas that could see the release of 50 civilian hostages from Gaza in exchange for a three-day ceasefire, reports say.
A Qatari official briefed on the negotiations told Reuters the deal, which has been coordinated with the US, would also include an increase in the amount of humanitarian aid allowed into Gaza.
The release of Palestinian women and children from Israeli prisons would also be included.
If the deal goes through, it would be the largest release of hostages by the terror group, who have so far released just four of the over 240 civilians kidnapped from southern Israeli regions on October 7.
According to the official, Hamas has agreed to the terms of the deal, but Israel has not and is continuing to negotiate the details. “The general outline of the deal is understood,” the Israeli official said in an interview with the Washington Post on Monday, requesting that his identity remain anonymous.
Israeli minister Benny Gantz, who is in the war cabinet, said at a news conference on Wednesday: "Even if we are required to pause fighting in order to return our hostages, there will be no stopping the combat and the war until we achieve our goals."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has been reticent about offering details of the negotiations, added: "We have been working relentlessly for the release of the hostages, including using increased pressure since the start of the ground incursion."
The roughly 250 hostages, whose faces have been printed on posters seen around the world, may begin to be released in groups, beginning with women and children, according to reports of the tentative negotiations underway. (Photo: Getty)
On Sunday, US officials told the American news network CBS that one of the primary sticking points in negotiations was Israel’s demand for a complete list of the remaining living hostages held by Hamas.
Last week, reports of the negotiations indicated plans to release ten to 15 hostages in exchange for a one to two-day ceasefire.
A provisional outline for the deal that was publicised on Monday included the release of up to 70 hostages held in Gaza and a five-day ceasefire alongside the simultaneous release of Palestinians incarcerated in Israel.
Other Palestinian terror groups, like Islamic Jihad, also took hostages, including children, though the exact number of these hostages is unknown.
A more comprehensive release of hostages is not on the table, according to the official who spoke to Reuters.
