“The Truce Crescent” Attempts to Tear the Clouds of Gaza War… Positive Expectations for a Near Breakthrough

11th December 2024

2 minutes read

"The Truce Crescent" Attempts to Tear the Clouds of Gaza War... Positive Expectations for a Near Breakthrough

Positive expectations in Israel regarding an imminent agreement for prisoner exchange and a ceasefire in Gaza have significantly risen.

In an unprecedented statement, Israeli Foreign Minister Gidon Saar said: “I won’t go into details, there are indirect negotiations, we can be more optimistic than before, but we are not there yet, and I hope we will get there.”

Saar added in a meeting with journalists in West Jerusalem: “We are serious about reaching an agreement to release hostages, this agreement will be linked to a ceasefire in Gaza, there will be no ceasefire in Gaza without a hostages agreement.”

He continued: “We are working on an agreement and hope to achieve it.”

For its part, the newspaper “Israel Hayom,” close to Netanyahu, reported that “the indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas on a new deal for the release of hostages have reached an advanced stage, with both sides exchanging lists of names via intermediaries.”

The paper revealed that Hamas had submitted a list of Palestinian prisoners to be released from Israeli prisons, noting that an agreement could be reached within a week or two.

It added: “Israeli sources familiar with the details expect a ‘dramatic development’ to occur in the coming days.”

The sources clarified that “technical committees from Israel, Egypt, and Hamas have started working on the details of the hostage release deal.”

It continued: “Both sides show unprecedented seriousness in reaching an agreement.”

Egypt, Qatar, Turkey, and the United States are overseeing the negotiations.

In related news, a senior Israeli official stated that White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan will arrive in Israel on Thursday and meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer.

He added to “Walla” that “the talks will address the situation in Syria, the hostage agreement, and the ceasefire in Gaza.”

Egypt has made significant efforts in recent weeks in an attempt to make progress toward ending the war, which has been ongoing since October 7, 2023.

Egyptian Efforts

Meanwhile, sources close to Hamas indicated that a Hamas leadership delegation, headed by Khalil al-Hayya, briefed the head of Egypt’s General Intelligence Service, General Hassan Rashad, during a meeting held Sunday in Cairo, on Hamas’s efforts to prepare a list of hostages held in Gaza.

A source close to Hamas, familiar with the indirect negotiations between Hamas and Israel to reach a truce, told AFP: “The Hamas delegation informed Egyptian Intelligence Minister General Hassan Rashad of the movement’s efforts, including with the factions holding some prisoners, to gather information about the Israeli prisoners, especially the living ones.”

The source clarified that Hamas is “preparing a list of prisoners who are still alive, including some prisoners with dual Israeli and American nationality.”

He added: “If Israel accepts the Egyptian proposal (on prisoner exchange), I believe the exchange deal will be ready for implementation.”