ReutersA senior Palestinian official involved in the talks told the BBC that talks to reach a ceasefire in Gaza and a hostage release agreement between Israel and Hamas are 90% complete, but there are still major issues that need to be overcome.
One of the main sticking points is the continued Israeli military presence in the Philadelphia Corridor, a strategically important strip of land in southern Gaza along the border with Egypt.
The Palestinian official shared details of the discussions that took place in Doha, which include the possibility of establishing a buffer zone several kilometers wide along Israel’s border with Gaza.
The official said that Israel will maintain a military presence in this region.
They added that with these issues resolved, a three-stage ceasefire could be agreed upon within days.
The agreement will include the exchange of 20 Palestinian prisoners for every female soldier released in the first of the three phases of the ceasefire.
The names of the prisoners have not yet been agreed upon, but they will be chosen from among about 400 people serving prison sentences of 25 years or more in Israel.
It is not believed that among them is prominent Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti, whose release Israel is expected to veto.
The Israeli hostages will be released in stages, as Hamas is believed to still need to locate some of the missing hostages.
Of the 96 hostages still being held in Gaza, Israel assumes that 62 of them are still alive.
The official said that civilians in Gaza will be able to return to the north under a system under Egyptian/Qatari supervision, and there will be about 500 trucks daily transporting aid to the Strip.
In the final phase of the three-stage plan, which will see the end of the 14-month war, Gaza will be overseen by a committee of technocrats from the Strip, who will have no previous political affiliations but will have everyone's support. Palestinian factions.
In recent weeks, the United States, Qatar, and Egypt have resumed mediation efforts and expressed greater willingness on both sides to conclude an agreement.
The round of talks that took place in mid-October failed to reach an agreement, as Hamas rejected the short-term ceasefire proposal.
Hamas and two other Palestinian movements said that reaching a ceasefire agreement in Gaza “is closer than ever” only if “Israel stops imposing new conditions.”
The group said in a statement on Telegram on Saturday that it held a meeting in Cairo on Friday about ongoing negotiation efforts with representatives of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.
The Palestinian Islamist militant group Hamas, which rules Gaza, carried out an unprecedented cross-border attack in southern Israel on October 7, 2023. About 1,200 people were killed and 251 kidnapped.
More than 100 hostages were freed through negotiations or Israeli military rescue operations.
