Hamas ‘willing to negotiate’ for release of all hostages held in Gaza, source involved in negotiations says.
Israel National NewsNov 29, 2023, 9:56 AM (GMT+2)
A source familiar with the details of the negotiations for the hostages’ release and the continuation of the current temporary ceasefire has said that both sides agreed on five categories for the future release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza.
According to a Washington Post report, the negotiators agreed that the five categories would be: men too old for reserve military duty; female soldiers; male reservists; active-duty male soldiers; and the bodies of Israelis who died before or during captivity. The total is well over 100, but the source told the Post that he could not yet provide a precise number.
The source added that no commitments have been made, but “there is a willingness on both sides” to reach “a broad deal that would free all Israeli captives in exchange for longer pauses in fighting, release of more Palestinian prisoners and more humanitarian assistance for Palestinians in Gaza.”
Hamas is willing to negotiate on “all five categories,” the source said, adding that the parameters of such a deal have not yet been agreed upon. Another report said that Hamas would like to empty Israel’s prisons of all terrorists in exchange for all the hostages.
The source noted that although the hostages are not all in Hamas’ hands, “Hamas has told the Qataris that they are ‘confident they can get everyone.'”
Separately, Hamas representative in Lebanon Osama Hamadan told Al Arabiya that there is “a possibility to extend the ceasefire by additional days, in two aspects: The humanitarian aspect, which includes the release of as many prisoners as possible, and also the political aspect, which is connected to the way by which we can end this war and remove the siege on the Gaza Strip.”
“With this, we open the door to deal with the consequences of what happened and bring about an end to a swap deal, which includes all of the prisoners,” he said.
Content retrieved from: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/381111.