The chief of Hamas informed Reuters on Tuesday that the Palestinian militant group is on the verge of reaching a truce agreement with Israel, despite the ongoing deadly assault on Gaza and the firing of rockets into Israel.
Hamas officials have come close to reaching a truce agreement with Israel, and the group has submitted its response to Qatari mediators, according to a statement by Ismail Haniyeh, sent to Reuters by his aide.
While the statement did not provide further details, a Hamas official revealed to Al Jazeera TV that the negotiations are primarily focused on the duration of the truce, arrangements for the delivery of aid into Gaza, and the exchange of Israeli hostages held by Hamas for Palestinian prisoners in Israel.
The official, Issat el Reshiq, stated that both sides have agreed to release women and children, and Qatar, which is mediating the negotiations, will announce the specific details.
Israel has generally refrained from commenting on the status of the Qatar-led talks. An unidentified senior government source, quoted by Israel’s Channel 12 television, simply stated, “they are close,” without providing further information.
Hamas took approximately 240 hostages during its rampage into Israel on October 7, resulting in the deaths of 1,200 people.
Mirjana Spoljaric, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), met with Haniyeh in Qatar on Monday to address humanitarian issues related to the conflict, as stated by the Geneva-based ICRC in a press release. She also held separate meetings with Qatari authorities.
The ICRC clarified that it is not involved in the negotiations for the release of the hostages. However, as a neutral intermediary, it is prepared to facilitate any future release agreed upon by the parties involved.
Talks of an imminent hostage deal have been circulating for several days. Last week, Reuters reported that Qatari mediators were working towards a deal in which Hamas would release 50 hostages in exchange for Israel freeing certain prisoners and implementing a three-day ceasefire.
Israeli Ambassador to the United States, Michael Herzog, expressed hope for an agreement “in the coming days” during an interview on ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday. Qatar’s Prime Minister, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, also stated that the remaining obstacles were “very minor.” U.S. President Joe Biden and other officials confirmed on Monday that a deal was close.
The Hamas raid on October 7, which marked the deadliest day in Israel’s 75-year-old history, prompted Israel to invade Gaza with the objective of dismantling the militant group that has been in power since 2007.
Since then, Gaza’s Hamas-run government reports that at least 13,300 Palestinians, including approximately 5,600 children, have been confirmed killed due to Israeli bombardment, which has left large portions of Gaza, particularly its northern half, in ruins.
Approximately two-thirds of Gaza’s 2.3 million population have been displaced, with thousands of people still fleeing south on foot, carrying their belongings and children. However, even the central and southern parts of the enclave, where Israel has directed them to go, have been consistently targeted.
Gaza health authorities reported on Tuesday that at least 20 Palestinians were killed in an Israeli bombing of the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza at midnight. There has been no immediate comment from Israel.
The Nuseirat district, which originated as a camp for Palestinian refugees from the 1948 Israeli-Arab war, is located just south of the wetlands that divide the strip and has become the primary destination for the large numbers of people fleeing the violence.
As the negotiations continue, there is cautious optimism that a truce agreement between Hamas and Israel will be reached, potentially bringing some relief to the ongoing conflict and its devastating consequences.
