Israel and Hamas negotiate month-long truce – Reuters
Israel and Hamas have generally agreed that an exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners could take place during the month-long ceasefire, which is being hindered by differences between the two sides on how to achieve a permanent cessation of hostilities in Gaza.
Source: Reuters with reference to its sources
Details: Qatar, Washington and Egypt's intensive mediation efforts in recent weeks have focused on a phased approach to releasing various categories of Israeli hostages – starting with civilians and ending with soldiers – in exchange for a cessation of hostilities, releasing Palestinian prisoners and providing more assistance to Gaza.
The latest round of "shuttle diplomacy" began on 28 December and narrowed differences regarding the duration of the initial ceasefire to approximately 30 days after Hamas initially proposed a pause for several months.
However, according to six sources, Hamas refused to move forward until future conditions of a permanent ceasefire are agreed upon.
While Israel seeks to negotiate step by step, Hamas aims for a "package deal" that involves a permanent ceasefire before the release of hostages during the initial stage.
Reuters added that Israel and Hamas are negotiating through mediators rather than directly.
On Tuesday, a White House representative stated that US Middle East envoy Brett McGurk was in the region, for the second time in a week, to negotiate on hostage release and that Washington would support an extended "humanitarian pause".
Two sources in Egyptian security services reported that efforts were ongoing to persuade Hamas to agree to a month-long truce, followed by a permanent cessation of hostilities. However, Hamas is demanding guarantees that the second phase of the deal would be conducted before agreeing to the initial ceasefire.
Answering negotiation questions, a senior Hamas representative, Sami Abu Zuhri, told Reuters that the organisation was ready to discuss ideas, but no agreement had yet been reached.
"We are open to all initiatives and proposals, but any agreement must be based on ending the aggression and the occupation's complete pullout from Gaza Strip," Abu Zuhri stated.
Another source, a senior Hamas representative, pointed out that Israel proposed ending the war if Hamas withdrew six official leaders from Gaza. However, according to the source, Hamas "absolutely" rejected this proposal.
The source reported that the list included the organisers of Hamas attacks on Israel on 7 October, including Yahya Sinwar and Mohamed al-Deif, who are considered Israel's primary targets to be killed or captured in the war and are believed to be hiding in Hamas's extensive tunnel network under Gaza.
Background:
- Josep Borrell, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, stated that Israel funded the creation of the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, a claim previously denied by the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu.
- Earlier, the EU Council approved a regime of special restrictive measures against the terrorist groups Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, allowing sanctions to be imposed on those providing financial or any other support to the groups.
- Additionally, this week, the EU imposed sanctions against the political leader of Hamas in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, and back in December, sanctions were also introduced against the leader of the military wing of Hamas, Mohammed Deif, and his deputy, Marwan Issa.
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