The deal to release hostages taken by Hamas in exchange for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, where Israel is waging a war with the Palestinian Islamist movement, appears to be very “close”, according to the warring parties and Qatar and the United States , mediators. on Tuesday key together with Egypt.

“We are now very, very close,” US President Joe Biden said. “It is possible that we will soon be able to return some hostages to their homes. But I don’t want to go into details because nothing will be done until it is done,” he added.

Two sources familiar with these negotiations explained to AFP that the preliminary agreement is based on the release of between “50 and 100” hostages in exchange for the release of 300 Palestinian prisoners in Israel, including children and women.

According to the two sources close to the negotiations, one of the points of disagreement is the release of military hostages.

Hamas is against it, but Israel defends the concept of “family reunification,” meaning that if a citizen is released, his family members should also be released, even if they are in the army.

Both Hamas and Israel reported this progress in the agreement to release the hostages kidnapped by the Islamist group during the deadly October 7 attack on Israeli territory.

“We are moving forward. (…) I hope we have good news soon,” said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who made a ceasefire conditional on the release of the hostages.

Negotiators “have never been so close to an agreement,” the Qatari Foreign Ministry said. The negotiations have reached their “final phase”, spokesman Majed Al Ansari said.

“We are close to reaching an agreement on a ceasefire,” Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said in a message on Telegram.

According to sources from Hamas and Islamic Jihad, another Palestinian armed group, both movements have accepted an agreement, details of which must be announced by Qatar and the mediators.

In their attack on southern Israel on October 7, Hamas militants killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapped about 240 hostages who were taken to Gaza.

Israel, which vowed to “destroy” Hamas, responded with relentless bombing and ground operations in the Gaza Strip, killing more than 14,000 people, including thousands of minors, according to the Islamist movement’s health ministry.

“Five-day humanitarian ceasefire”

Netanyahu’s office indicated that the “war government” would meet tonight to discuss “progress on the release of our hostages.”

The exchange would be carried out at a rate of “10” Israeli hostages per day for “30” Palestinian prisoners and would also include the entry of food, medical aid and fuel into Gaza and a “five-day humanitarian truce.”

The UN, which has been pushing for a ceasefire for weeks on humanitarian grounds, estimates that the war has displaced nearly 1.7 of the 2.4 million residents of Gaza, which has also been under “total siege” since October 9 has declared. supply of food, water, electricity and medicines.

A true “health tragedy” is unfolding in the enclave, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned.

The BRICS group of emerging economies (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) called for “an immediate and lasting humanitarian ceasefire” in Gaza during an extraordinary virtual summit on Tuesday.

About 28 newborns arrived in Egypt the following Monday On Sunday, 31 newborns were evacuated from Gaza’s Al Shifa hospitalthe largest in the Strip, and moved south of the Palestinian enclave.

Medical sources reported that the 28 babies were in “critical condition,” while World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated that “all babies are fighting serious infections and other conditions, and they need specialized medical attention need. ”

Several women prepare a symbolic table during a demonstration in Tel Aviv demanding the release of Israelis held hostage in the Gaza Strip since the attack by Hamas militants on October 7, amid ongoing fighting between Israel and the Palestinian armed group. Photo: AFP

The army said the strikes hit “about 250” Hamas targets over the past day, adding that two soldiers were killed in the northern Palestinian territory.

The Islamist movement accuses Israel of waging “a war on hospitals” in Gaza, where the northern sector has few operational medical centers.

Israeli authorities claim that Hamas uses these hospitals for military purposes and uses civilians as “human shields,” something the Palestinian movement denies. (JO)