Sources in Hamas told the Lebanese newspaper Al Akhbar this morning (Thursday) that the negotiations in Doha are proceeding excellently and that most issues have been resolved. It was also reported that “the agreement is very close.” According to these sources, two conditions set by Israel remain unresolved. “Receiving a list including all the names of hostages, living and dead, and including the names of soldiers in the hostage lists under humanitarian criteria, so that an injured soldier will be included in the first stage of the deal, are requirements that need solving.”
Additionally, the terror organization insists that to reach all hostages and ensure their status, a week of calm is necessary. It was claimed, “these demands contradict the keys set for the release of captives.” However, it was noted that “if Israel expresses a serious desire to reach a deal, these two issues can be overcome.”
Hamas’s Flexibility in Negotiations; After Excluding Hezbollah from the War
Against the backdrop of the report, the political-security cabinet meeting took place earlier this week, addressing the negotiations for a hostage deal, with information being kept highly confidential, indicating significant and advanced negotiations. It was reported on N12 at the time that the central disagreement focuses on the gap between Israel’s positions and Hamas’s offers regarding the number of hostages to be released as part of the deal, with Israel pushing to dramatically expand the scope of the deal, while Hamas is only willing to agree to a limited release. Conversely, senior defense officials note that there is willingness from Hamas to reach agreements, which marks a change from their previous positions.
As a reminder, initial indications of this flexibility were seen for the first time in months during which Hamas hardened its positions, after the significant blows suffered by the Hezbollah terror organization that weakened it considerably and led to a ceasefire agreement with Israel.
