ReutersTalks on a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and a hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas are 90% complete, but there remain key issues that need to be addressed, a senior Palestinian official involved in the talks said , told the BBC.
One of the main points of contention is the ongoing Israeli military presence in the Philadelphia Corridor, a strategically important strip of land in the southern Gaza Strip along the border with Egypt.
The Palestinian official shared details of talks held in Doha, which include the possible creation of a buffer zone several kilometers wide along Israel’s border with Gaza.
Israel will maintain its military presence in the area, the official said.
If these issues are resolved, a three-stage ceasefire could be agreed within days, they added.
The deal would include an exchange of 20 Palestinian prisoners for each soldier released in the first of three stages of the ceasefire.
The names of the prisoners have yet to be agreed upon, but they would be chosen from around 400 names serving sentences of 25 years or more in Israel.
They are not believed to include senior Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti, whose release Israel is expected to veto.
Israeli hostages would be released gradually as it is believed Hamas has yet to locate some of the missing hostages.
Of the 96 hostages still held in Gaza, Israel believes 62 are still alive.
Gaza civilians could return to the north under a system under Egyptian-Qatari supervision, and about 500 trucks would bring aid to the strip daily, the official said.
In the final phase of the three-phase plan, which would mark the end of the 14-month war, Gaza would be overseen by a committee of technocrats from the enclave who previously had no political affiliation but would have the support of all Palestinian factions.
In recent weeks, the United States, Qatar and Egypt have resumed mediation efforts and reported greater willingness from both sides to reach an agreement.
A round of negotiations in mid-October failed to produce an agreement as Hamas rejected a short-term ceasefire proposal.
Hamas and two other Palestinian militant groups said reaching a ceasefire deal in Gaza would only be “closer than ever” if Israel “stops imposing new conditions.”
In a Telegram statement on Saturday, the group said it held a meeting in Cairo on Friday about ongoing negotiation efforts with representatives of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).
The Palestinian Islamist armed group Hamas, which ruled Gaza, carried out an unprecedented cross-border attack in southern Israel on October 7, 2023. Around 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were kidnapped.
More than 100 hostages were freed through negotiations or Israeli military rescue operations.
