Israel Accepts US-Proposed Prisoner-Hostage Exchange with Hamas

According to CNN, Israel has agreed to a proposal from the US regarding a prisoner-hostage exchange deal. This deal would involve Tel Aviv releasing more than 700 Palestinian prisoners, including 100 individuals serving life sentences for the killing of Israeli nationals. In return, Hamas in Gaza would release 40 Israeli hostages.

Israel has agreed to make “significant compromises in order to return the abductees home,” CNN affiliate Channel 11 (Kan News) also reported on Sunday, quoting a senior Israeli official.

CNN also verified this update with a diplomatic source, who mentioned that there are still unresolved matters, including the entry of aid, and “Israeli military repositioning” in Gaza.

Israel accepted the proposal presented by CIA Director Bill Burns. Burns, who was in Doha, reported on the ongoing talks between Hamas and Israel mediated by intermediaries, as per CNN analyst Barak Ravid’s coverage of the recent discussions in Doha, Qatar.

According to Ravid, the agreement has not received any approval from the Hamas side, and it might take one to three days for them to respond to the deal.

“Those details need to go from Hamas representatives in Doha, who are negotiating, to the person who really calls the shots, and this is Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in Gaza, who is in a bunker some 100 feet under the ground, so this takes a long time,” CNN analyst Ravid said.

Ravid mentioned that the proposed exchange will “definitely include some” American hostages, as it will involve the release of men aged over 50.

Hamas’ latest proposal this month requested the release of approximately 700 to 1,000 Palestinian prisoners. At that time, Israel dismissed the demands as “ridiculous” and “absurd.”

CNN reported that if the agreement materializes, it is anticipated to unfold in multiple phases. Initially, Hamas has suggested releasing women hostages, encompassing Israeli soldiers, elderly, sick, and wounded individuals. This group is estimated to consist of approximately 40 individuals out of the roughly 100 hostages who are still alive.