Gaza ceasefire: agreement between Israel and Hamas coming in the next few hours

Agreement between Israel and Hamas almost ready: truce, hostage release and IDF withdrawal from Philadelphi Corridor

Israel is one step closer to an agreement with Hamas on the release of hostages and the imposition of a ceasefire in Gaza. The Israeli Foreign Minister, Gideon Sa’ar, announced the possible agreement in a recent interview on Rai Uno. ‘There are very few discrepancies,’ he said, stressing how the agreement could be concluded in the coming hours. If confirmed, the Israeli government will meet to formally approve the understanding.

Meanwhile, a Hamas delegation in Doha, led by Khalil Al-Hayya, has already given its consent to the mediators from Qatar and Egypt, as confirmed by the Palestinian faction to al-Jazeera.

Crucial steps and involvement of international forces

The negotiations, described as ‘positive’ by Israeli sources and mediators, are mainly concentrated in Doha. Mohammed Sinwar, the military leader of Hamas in Gaza, gave his assent to the agreement, representing a crucial step towards its conclusion. The Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is also closely following the progress, with meetings planned with Qatari delegates and members of the Israeli security forces.

Israeli sources, quoted by the newspaper Haaretz, revealed that the Tel Aviv government is preparing for the official ratification of the agreement, expected in the coming hours, with the release of the first hostages expected early next week. Palestinian sources also confirmed an imminent agreement, with details finalised during a decisive meeting of Hamas leaders. It is expected that release operations could begin within 24-48 hours of the signing of the agreement.

Unfinished business in the negotiations

Despite the optimism, a number of knots remain to be untied. Among these is Prime Minister Netanyahu’s request to include Israeli soldiers in the list of hostages to be freed in the first phase, a request considered controversial and described by Hamas as an attempt to ‘obstruct the agreement’. The Palestinian faction insists that the military should only be released at a later stage, in exchange for the release of around a thousand Palestinian detainees.

The maps defining the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip also represent another critical point. Israel, in fact, wants to maintain strategic control of the Netzarim Corridor and the Philadelphi Corridor until all hostages are freed and all conditions of the agreement are fulfilled. This is a point Hamas has so far rejected, bringing the confrontation to a delicate balance.

Presence of Islamic Jihad in the negotiations

In the context of the negotiations, a delegation of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad reached Doha to contribute to the negotiation process. According to a Jihad official told Afp news agency, the talks are focusing both on the ceasefire and on defining the names of Palestinian detainees to be exchanged. The presence of Islamic Jihad underlines the importance of the participation of all factions involved to ensure the effectiveness of the agreement and the stability of the truce.

THE LATEST NEWS

[recent_post_slider design=”design-07″ show_author=”false” slider_height=”390″ lazyload=”progressive” limit=”6″ category=”11728″]