Israel and Hamas would have reached an agreement for the release of the hostages that the Palestinian faction has been holding in Gaza since October 2023, they assured the newspaper Times of Israel Arab officials close to the negotiation.
According to the Israeli media, one of the main issues that has not yet been finalized is the exact parameters of the withdrawal of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) from the Palestinian enclave, and mediators are still waiting for a map from Israel that details it. , say Arab officials.
According to the Times of Israel, officials speculate that a deal will be announced on Wednesday or Thursday in the form of a joint statement from the United States, Qatar and Egypt, which have been mediating between Israel and Hamas.
Hours earlier, Israeli Foreign Minister Guideon Saar expressed hope in Rome that a multi-phase deal would soon be reached with the Palestinian group in Gaza.
After a day with several meetings and a press conference in Rome after a meeting with his Italian counterpart, Antonio Tajani, Saar stressed that a possible agreement that would put an end to 15 months of offensive in the Strip is something tangible and with a majority of Israeli government favorable to this, despite the opposition of far-right partners.
“I think there is a real will to reach an agreement on our part,” added the head of Israeli diplomacy before journalists, after his meeting with Tajani.
On the other hand, the United States Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, assured that he will deliver to the next Donald Trump Administration a post-conflict plan for the Gaza Strip that includes reunification with the West Bank under a government supported by the international community.
During a speech at the Atlantic Council think tank in Washington, the head of American diplomacy, who is about to leave office, detailed a reconstruction proposal for the Palestinian enclave that follows the principles that he himself announced in Tokyo in November 2023.
The plan would be implemented after Israel and Hamas close the deal they are negotiating for a ceasefire and the release of hostages, and would lay the groundwork for the creation of an independent Palestinian state, Blinken said.
