Further progress was reported on Tuesday at the negotiations in Doha as Israel and Hamas inched closer to finalising a deal to end the Gaza war.
A delegation from the Islamic Jihad, a smaller militant group in Gaza holding some of the Israeli hostages, travelled to the Qatari capital to join what was expected to be the final stages of the talks, devoted to technical details of the implementation of the complicated agreement.
US secretary of state Antony Blinken, speaking on Tuesday night, described the agreement as “right on the brink”, saying, “The ball is now in Hamas’ court. If Hamas accepts, the deal is ready to be concluded and implemented.”
If Israel and Hamas sign the agreement, the Israeli security cabinet, followed by the full cabinet, would convene to approve the deal. The names of Palestinian security prisoners to be set free would be published to allow petitions to the high court. However, the court has never rejected the release of Palestinian prisoners in similar circumstances.
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Israel awaits Hamas response to Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal
According to the terms of the agreement, Hamas would release three female hostages on the first day of the ceasefire, after which Israel would begin pulling back its forces from Gaza population centres. Thirty-three hostages would be set free in the first stage, which is scheduled to last 42 days. Those released would include children, women (including female soldiers), men aged over 50, and the wounded and sick. Israel believes most of these hostages are alive.
On the 16th day of the ceasefire, negotiations are scheduled to start on a second stage, during which Israel would receive the remaining living hostages – male soldiers and younger civilian males – and the bodies of dead hostages.
More than 1,000 Palestinians would be released by Israel as part of the deal but Israel has reportedly made it clear that it will not set free Marwan Barghouti, the militant leader who regularly tops Palestinian polls as the most popular choice for president.
Egypt is preparing to open the Rafah border crossing to Gaza to receive the Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners sent into exile as part of the ceasefire, according to Egyptian sources.
Israel’s national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, head of the far-right Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Strength) party, called on finance minister Bezalel Smotrich, the leader of the other far-right coalition party, the Religious Zionist party, to inform prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu that they will leave the government if Israel agrees to the deal.
Mr Ben-Gvir said his party had prevented a deal advancing during the last year, even though Mr Netanyahu blamed Hamas for the deadlock.
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According to Mr Ben-Gvir, the emerging deal erases the war’s achievements, does not lead to the release of all the hostages and seals the fate of the remaining hostages not included in the first stage.
Similar concerns were raised by many of the relatives of hostages in media interviews conducted on Tuesday: that Hamas, from a position of strength following the first stage, will refuse to move to stage two and leave the remaining hostages trapped in Gaza. Relatives also expressed concern over the physical and mental state of the hostages, after more than 460 days in captivity.
The conflict began when 1,200 people were killed and 250 kidnapped by Hamas militants who invaded southern Israel on October 7th, 2023, according to Israeli figures. At least 46,645 Palestinians have since been killed, according to the Gaza health ministry. Much of coastal enclave lies in ruins and hundreds of thousands of displaced war refugees will have no home to return to.
