Hamas leadership approved the implementation of the first phase of the hostage deal, according to a senior Hamas official.
By YUVAL BARNEA MAY 4, 2024 11:02
Updated: MAY 4, 2024 11:50
Hamas will announce soon that it agreed to the Egyptian mediation proposal, according to Saturday Arab media reports.
Palestinian newspaper Al-Quds reported that the announcement would come within days, while Qatari government-aligned newspaper Al-Sharq reported that it would come within hours.
It was also reported that in recent hours, Egypt, Qatar, Israel, and Hamas have held discussions on the number of prisoners to be released in the deal.
Hamas, according to the Al-Quds report, also received American guarantees for a permanent cessation of the war and the withdrawal of the IDF from the Gaza Strip in the third phase of the deal.
Hamas also reportedly said that there is no need for a permanent ceasefire as a precondition of talks.
Hamas officials, Khalil Al-Hayya and Osama Hamdan, attend a press conference in Beirut, Lebanon, November 21, 2023. (credit: REUTERS/ESA ALEXANDER)
Hamas hints at approval of the deal
A senior Hamas official confirmed this to N12 on Saturday morning, saying that the Hamas leadership had approved the implementation of the first phase of the hostage deal.
According to the report, the shift seems to be caused by guarantees from the US, Qatar, and Egypt that Israel would entirely withdraw from the Gaza Strip by the end of the deal.
The report says the same source told N12 that CIA Director William Burns would return to Cairo on Saturday and meet with the senior Hamas negotiating team.
The source went on to say that part of the assurances was that Israel would not enter Rafah at any point of the deal.
He also confirmed that compromises had been reached on the number of hostages and Palestinian prisoners.
Content retrieved from: https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-799783.