As mediation countries intensify their initiatives in an effort to secure a ceasefire in Gaza, Israeli media have revealed the behind-the-scenes details of the negotiations and some aspects of the American proposal.
According to Israel’s Channel 12, Hamas’ stance on the negotiations remains unclear, as the movement’s leader, Yahya Sinwar, has not responded. There are also questions regarding the political obstacles within Israel.
The newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported that the mediators at the Doha summit ignored the demands of Yahya Sinwar and Benjamin Netanyahu, and instead sought solutions based on the proposals put forward by Joe Biden.
Channel 12, which disclosed details of the American mediation proposal in Doha, indicated that the document outlined the list of hostages to be released and the timeline for their release, as well as the list of Palestinian prisoners who would be freed in exchange for each hostage.
According to the American proposal, women and soldiers would be released first, with priority given to releasing live hostages.
Washington also proposes the release of Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed, who were captured by Hamas years ago.
The proposal includes a list of Palestinian prisoners to be released in exchange for each Israeli prisoner, among them 47 prisoners who were released in the Shalit deal but were re-imprisoned in recent years.
Additionally, more detailed summaries were provided about the movements of the Israeli army in different areas of the Gaza Strip during the truce and ceasefire period.
Channel 12 confirmed that the issue of the Netzarim junction was not addressed in the American document presented in Doha and that it would be discussed during U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to Israel.
Yedioth Ahronoth cited sources familiar with the talks who said that the working groups in Doha and those set to arrive in Cairo are striving to close the gaps regarding the names of the prisoners and hostages to be released, as well as discussing the issue of Rafah and the Philadelphi Route.
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement on Saturday, saying that the Israeli negotiating team expressed “cautious optimism” about the possibility of reaching an agreement on the hostages in Gaza.
The statement noted that “the team conveyed to the Prime Minister a cautious optimism about the potential to finalize an agreement based on the latest American proposal.”
The office added that it hopes intense pressure on Hamas from the United States and international mediators will end Hamas’ opposition to the American proposal and allow for a breakthrough.