Sinwar and the hostages… The revelation of a “safe exit deal” for Hamas leaders from Gaza
“The safe exit deal” has become a headline in Israeli media aimed at ending the war in the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli Broadcasting Authority stated: “Israel has presented a new proposal to the United States to reach an agreement for the release of the hostages.”
The proposal includes:
- The release of all hostages in one batch.
- Guaranteeing the safe exit of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and anyone wishing to leave with him from the Gaza Strip.
- The release of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.
- The disarmament of the Gaza Strip.
- Implementing a management mechanism for the strip and ending the war.
The authority also mentioned that the coordinator of prisoner and missing persons affairs, Gal Hirsch, met with the families of the hostages and informed them of the new proposal.
In his meeting with the families, Hirsch said that “the outlines were presented during his meetings last week with American officials at the White House and the U.S. State Department.”
The Israeli Broadcasting Authority reported from sources who met with Hirsch that the proposal was named the “safe exit deal.”
“Secondary plan”
According to the same source, a senior Israeli official commented on the matter, saying, “In light of the difficulties facing the negotiations and the critical time factor for the hostages’ lives, we would like to propose a ‘secondary plan’ (Plan B), which would shorten the stages and allow for a quicker deal if Sinwar were to leave.”
The broadcasting authority also quoted the official as saying, “This would allow us to achieve the objectives of the war and permit Hamas leadership in Gaza to leave safely to a secure location.”
Efforts to reach a prisoner exchange and ceasefire agreement had reached a deadlock recently, amid ongoing disputes.
Last Monday, U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller announced that “Washington continues to engage in dialogue with Egypt and Qatar to present a revised proposal regarding a ceasefire in Gaza.”
Miller said in a press briefing that “the U.S. is working with mediators on what the proposal will include and how to push the parties toward a final agreement.”
The State Department spokesperson also explained that “there is no set timeline, but we are working urgently to develop this proposal.”
Last week, Hamas stated that it was ready to implement a ceasefire based on the previous proposal without any conditions from any party.
However, U.S. officials clarified the reasons for the failure of previous negotiations, stating that “most of the terms of the agreement had been agreed upon, but negotiations are still ongoing to overcome two major obstacles: Israel’s demand to keep its forces on the Philadelphi corridor, and the details of exchanging detainees with Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.”
Israeli media did not address the issue of whether or not Israeli forces would remain on the Philadelphi corridor in the new proposal.
