Jerusalem
CNN
—
Hamas is expected to release 33 hostages in the first phase of a cease-fire deal that is being finalized by negotiators in Doha, two Israeli officials said.
A senior Israeli official told reporters on Monday that he believed most of the 33 hostages were alive, but that the bodies of hostages released during the initial 42-day ceasefire included those of those who had died. He said it was highly likely. Hamas and its allies are still holding 94 hostages taken from Israel in an attack on October 7, 2023, of which at least 34 were killed, according to the Israeli government.
A senior Israeli official said the parties appeared close to an agreement and that Israel was ready to implement it as soon as it was signed.
U.S. President Joe Biden expressed similar optimism in a foreign policy-focused speech on Monday, saying the United States is “pressing hard to end this problem.”
“The deal we have put together frees the hostages, halts the fighting, provides security for Israel, and significantly increases humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people who have suffered so badly in this war started by Hamas. They’ve been through hell,” Biden said.
Diplomats close to the negotiations told CNN that a final round of close talks to finally resolve the issue is scheduled to be held in Doha on Tuesday. According to the Hostage and Missing Families Forum, some of the hostages’ families were invited to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the same day.
The release of the 33 hostages is the first step in reaching an agreement. Negotiations for the second phase aimed at ending the war will begin on the 16th day of implementation of the agreement.
Under the latest proposal, Israeli troops would maintain a presence along the Philadelphia Corridor, a narrow strip of land along the Egypt-Gaza border, during the first phase of the deal, officials said. The Israeli military presence along the corridor had contributed to sinking a potential deal in September during the previous round of negotiations.
The official said Israel would also maintain a buffer zone within the Gaza Strip along its border with Israel, but he did not say how large that area would be, which is also a point of contention during negotiations. A Hamas official earlier told CNN that the group wants the buffer zone to return to its pre-October 7 size of 300 to 500 meters (330 to 545 yards) from the border, while Israel He said he was requesting meters.
Residents of northern Gaza will be allowed to freely return to the northern Gaza Strip, but Israeli officials insisted that unspecified “security measures” would be put in place.
The official said Palestinian prisoners deemed responsible for killing Israelis would not be released to the West Bank, but would be released to the Gaza Strip or abroad in accordance with agreements with foreign countries.
Qadura Fares, head of the Palestinian Committee for Detainees and Former Detainees, told CNN on Monday that he was in Doha to advise negotiators on the list of detainees who would be released “in the event of a deal.” He said he was there.
CNN has reached out to Hamas for comment.
A senior Israeli official told reporters on Monday that a “breakthrough” in the talks came late Sunday night during a meeting between Israeli intelligence agency Mossad chief David Barnea and mediators in Doha, Qatar. .
“There is talk of an agreement in the near future, but it is impossible to say whether it is a matter of hours or days,” the official said.
The official said Israel is ready to quickly implement the agreement, but the agreement must first pass both the security cabinet and all government ministers. The government also needs to allow time for opponents of the deal to appeal to the Supreme Court.
“We are closer than ever to an agreement, but the mediator in Doha is still waiting for a formal response from both sides,” said an Arab official briefed on the talks.
The Hostage and Missing Families Forum said on Monday it remained hopeful but cautious after reports a deal was near.
“We continue to have faith in those working tirelessly to bring our loved ones home, and we will not rest until the last hostage is returned,” the group said.
Israel launched a war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip following an attack on October 7, 2023 that left around 1,200 people dead and 250 taken hostage. Since then, Israeli forces have killed at least 46,565 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. More than 100,000 people were injured.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
