The acceptance of the draft agreement for a ceasefire in and the release of dozens of hostages from it were confirmed by two officials involved in the talks in Doha to the Associated Press.
At the same time, an Israeli official emphasized, for his part, that progress has been made, but the details are being finalized.
with an Egyptian official and a Hamas official confirming its authenticity.
The plan will have to be submitted to his cabinet for final approval.
All three officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the closed-door talks.
The draft agreement
owned by the Associated Press
According to the draft agreement negotiated by Israel and Hamas and obtained by The Associated Press, Israel will pay a high price to secure — especially — the release of female soldiers held hostage.
The three-phase deal will begin with the gradual release of 33 hostages over six weeks, including women, children, elderly adults and wounded civilians, in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian women and children held in Israeli prisons.
Among the 33 will be five women serving in the Israeli army, each of whom will be released in exchange for 50 Palestinian prisoners, including 30 convicted security prisoners serving life sentences.
During this first, 42-day phase, Israeli forces will withdraw from Gaza’s population centers, Palestinians will be allowed to begin returning to their homes in northern Gaza, and there will be a wave of humanitarian aid, with around 600 trucks entering every day.
Qatar: We are in the final stage – We have overcome the big differences
Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari said his country believes that negotiations for a ceasefire and hostage release between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas are “at the final stage”, warning, however, that the world ” he shouldn’t be too excited about what’s going on right now.”
Speaking in Doha during a press conference, he stressed: “It is very important not to raise expectations to a level that is not connected to what is happening on the ground at the moment.
“We are, we believe, at an advanced stage. We believe we are in the final stage. But obviously, until there’s an announcement, there won’t be an announcement, and so we shouldn’t get too excited about what’s happening right now.”
Al-Ansari thanked the representatives of both the Biden administration and the incoming Trump administration of the US participating in the talks and said that “the meetings held here in Doha are productive. They are positive and we hope to hear some developments soon”.
Afterwards, the Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman reiterated Qatar’s longstanding position on the conflict, saying:
“Obviously we’ve been saying this for months. This war should have ended a long time ago. The humanitarian cost of the ongoing war is unbearable and continues to be unbearable for the people of Gaza and for the stability and security of the region.
So we’re saying and calling on both sides to get seriously involved in the negotiations, which are happening right now – and we applaud the fact that the negotiations are happening – but we’re also, you know, urging both sides to end this now and sign agreement as soon as possible so that both hostages and prisoners can return to their families and stability can be brought to this region.”
