New reports suggest significant progress in negotiations for a hostage deal. The Al-Arabi Al-Jadeed newspaper reported this morning (Monday) that “the negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza have reached an advanced stage.” According to the reports, the parties have already exchanged lists of names, including Israeli hostages and Hamas militants whom Hamas seeks to have released in return.
The Initial List: Ill, Elderly, and U.S. Citizens
A source cited in the report stated that technical committees from Hamas, Egypt, and Israel have begun working on the implementation details of the hostage and militant exchange deal. Meanwhile, Hamas’s negotiating team has provided senior Egyptian intelligence officials with an initial list of individuals, including ill and elderly detainees expected to be released as part of the deal. An Israeli delegation is reviewing the submitted names and several proposals. “The parties are unprecedentedly serious about reaching an agreement, with Egypt, Qatar, Turkey, and the U.S. supervising the negotiations,” the source claimed.
According to the report, the deal may include four hostages with U.S. citizenship, even though they fall outside the conditions set for this phase of the deal. Negotiators in Egypt are reportedly optimistic about reaching an agreement within the timeframe set by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.
The report also claimed that Hamas agreed to a transitional phase of the deal lasting 60 days, during which food, medicine, and fuel would enter Gaza. Additionally, it was noted that an Israeli delegation might arrive in Cairo in the coming hours to discuss the agreement’s clauses, including the terms for swaps, withdrawal zones, and other transitional arrangements. These efforts aim to lay the groundwork for a permanent ceasefire to end the war.
Hostage Headquarters Representatives: “Cautious Optimism”
Meanwhile, representatives of the Hostage Families’ Headquarters met last night with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and emerged with cautious optimism. After the meeting, the representatives stated: “The Prime Minister said that the time is ripe for a deal to release the hostages. We urged him to act now to secure the release of all hostages—both the living and the deceased. We emphasized that all hostages are humanitarian cases. Additionally, the Prime Minister acknowledged that the hostages would only be returned through a deal and expressed his willingness to agree to a ceasefire to facilitate their return. What worked in the north can work in the south as well.”
