According to media reports on Friday, Qatari mediators informed Israeli officials that the Palestinian resistance group, Hamas, has “agreed in principle” to resume discussions on a new prisoner swap deal and a weeks-long cease-fire, as per Anadolu Agency.
The Hebrew Walla news website, citing three Israeli officials, reported that the talks focused on a proposal presented by the chief of the Israeli spy agency, David Barnea. The proposal involves the release of 40 additional Israeli hostages held in Gaza, including women and men over 60, in exchange for a cease-fire lasting one or two weeks. Additionally, the proposal includes the release of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, including those classified by Israel as security prisoners.
An official quoted by Walla stated, “We are moving from a freeze to a situation that is very cold.” However, both the Israeli government and Hamas have not yet commented on the report.
A week-long humanitarian pause began on Nov. 24 in Gaza, during which a prisoner swap was implemented between Hamas and Israel. Since Hamas’ cross-border attack on Oct. 7, Israel has continued relentless attacks on the Gaza Strip, resulting in at least 21,507 Palestinians killed and 55,915 injured, according to local health authorities.
On Nov. 10, an Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman revised the official death toll from the Hamas attacks to around 1,200. Since then, Tel Aviv has not provided additional information about casualties.
