The Saudi channel “Al-Sharq” reported today (Tuesday) that negotiations for a hostage deal are now at an advanced stage towards signing an agreement, with the help of mediators from Qatar and Egypt working with Israeli and Hamas technical teams to finalize the details of the deal for the hostage return and a ceasefire. According to an Israeli senior official’s assessment: “If negotiations continue at this pace, a deal can be reached within about two weeks,” and unlike a previous deal, Israel will agree to receive bodies in the first stage, according to journalist Moriah Asraf’s publication.
The Agreement Outline in Three Stages:
According to the report, the proposed outline includes a deal in three stages:
- Humanitarian Stage – Additional supplies to the Gaza Strip and the release of all Israeli female hostages, including soldiers, as well as kidnapped civilians. This process is estimated to take six weeks.
- Exchange Stage – Release of all captive soldiers in exchange for a number of yet-to-be-finalized terrorists, and between 100-150 terrorists sentenced to long prison terms.
- End of War Stage – Complete withdrawal of the IDF from the Gaza Strip, including the Philadelphi route and Netzarim route.
“Prime Minister is not in Cairo”
Earlier, we reported that sources familiar with the negotiations told Reuters that signing the deal is close and even noted that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is on his way to Cairo. In response to the reports, the Prime Minister’s spokesperson, Omer Dostri, denied on network X and emphasized: “The Prime Minister is not in Cairo, and there is no new update regarding Eli Cohen, of blessed memory.”
Despite reports of an imminent deal, three senior Israeli officials familiar with the negotiation details noted that there remains a significant gap between Israel and Hamas; thus, the deal for the release of hostages and ceasefire in Gaza is not expected to happen immediately.
