Israel agreed with mediators on the terms of the deal with Hamas

Israel agreed to a deal proposed by mediators in Paris with the Hamas group, recognized as a terrorist group in the United States and the European Union, to release the hostages. This was reported by the Maariv newspaper. However, Hamas itself has not yet responded to the proposal.

According to the proposed plan, the military operations of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in the Gaza Strip must be temporarily halted. Also, Israel should promote the delivery of humanitarian aid to civilians and release a number of Palestinian prisoners from prisons. Hamas will gradually release the hostages captured as a result of its militants’ attack on Israel on October 7 of last year.

How long the proposed humanitarian pause can last is not specified, but it is indicated that it will be “long-lasting”. Earlier, according to The New York Times, there was talk of a ceasefire for about two months.

If the agreement is accepted, it could mean the return home of about 100 hostages. According to The Wall Street Journal, the civilian hostages must first be released — primarily children, women and the elderly. In the second phase, as expected, Hamas must release the hostages from among the military and hand over the bodies of the dead hostages to Israel. At the same time, there will be negotiations on a permanent truce, which will also be ensured by the international community.

The head of the Israeli special service “Mossad”, the head of the CIA, William Burns, as well as representatives of Qatar and Egypt, who maintain ties with the leadership of Hamas, are participating in the negotiations in Paris.

• As a result of the attack by Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants on the south of Israel on October 7, 2023, about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, died. 240 were taken hostage and taken to the Gaza Strip. It is reported that 27 of them died in captivity. In response, Israel launched a military operation in the Gaza Strip with the aim of completely destroying Hamas. According to the Palestinian side, more than 26 thousand residents of the sector died as a result of the Israeli offensive.
• Last November, Israel and Hamas agreed on a short humanitarian truce. Then, in exchange for the resumption of humanitarian aid supplies to the Gaza Strip and the release of a number of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli prisons, it was possible to return about 130 hostages, both Israelis and foreigners. However, further negotiations came to an impasse due to the demands of Hamas, which Israel considered unfulfillable.