Ceasefire and prisoner exchange negotiations in Gaza have accelerated ahead of US President Donald Trump\u2019s planned Middle East visit in mid-May. It was claimed that Hamas agreed to release more Israeli hostages for a ceasefire, and the US promised to pressure Israel to start permanent ceasefire negotiations. In addition, the disarmament of Hamas under Egyptian supervision is on the agenda.<\/p>\n
After the first phase of the ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement between Israel and Hamas, which came into effect in January, was completed, the Israeli administration did not agree to move on to the second phase, in which it had to end its occupation of Gaza. It requested that the first phase of the ceasefire be extended and, in return, Hamas release 11 Israeli hostages. Hamas, which wants to move on to the second phase of the ceasefire, responded to Israel\u2019s new offer by saying that it could release 5 hostages. Israel rejected the proposal and restarted the Gaza attacks on March 18. Since then, attacks and ground occupation have continued, while negotiations for a ceasefire have also been conducted.<\/p>\n
According to a report by Saudi Arabia-based El-Arabiya<\/em>, Israel stated in its latest offer that it was ready to reduce the number of hostages to be released. It was reported that Hamas also agreed to release more hostages. However, no clear number was given.<\/p>\n If an agreement is reached under the proposed draft, the hostages will be released in two stages, and humanitarian aid will be allowed to enter the Gaza Strip.<\/p>\n In addition, it was stated that the US promised Hamas that it would force Israel into negotiations to end the war; it was noted that discussions on whether Hamas leaders could stay in Gaza were postponed to a later date.<\/p>\n The Saudi source also reported that, as part of a possible agreement, Hamas would provide medical reports on the health conditions of the hostages.<\/p>\n According to a report by Haaretz<\/em> newspaper, based on Palestinian sources, the Cairo and Doha administrations are working with the US on a new phase of the ceasefire agreement reached in January. This phase will also include negotiations to end the 18-month war.<\/p>\n According to the news, Egypt submitted a permanent ceasefire proposal that includes the disarmament of Hamas and that this be done under Cairo\u2019s supervision.<\/p>\n The report also stated that Hamas does not expect major results from the current negotiations, but believes there is an opportunity to reach a ceasefire agreement before US President Donald Trump\u2019s visit to Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar in mid-May.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, according to Ynet, which conveyed its source without explanation, the US assured Hamas that if it agreed to release more than 8 hostages, Israel would participate in negotiations to end the war.<\/p>\n A Hamas official told AFP on Friday that the Cairo delegation, headed by the group\u2019s chief negotiator, Khalil al-Hayya, hoped to achieve “real progress that would end the war, stop the attacks, and ensure the complete withdrawal of the occupying forces from Gaza.”<\/p>\n Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu\u2019s office said in a statement on Sunday evening that Netanyahu emphasized in his meeting with the family of hostage Eitan Mor that efforts to rescue the hostages held by Hamas were continuing “even at this very moment.”<\/p>\n The Times of Israel<\/em> published on Friday, citing two officials close to the talks, that Netanyahu softened his demands after his meeting with Trump in Washington last week.<\/p>\n The officials who spoke to the newspaper said on Thursday that Israel had conveyed its official response to the latest Egyptian-mediated offer. According to this response, Israel is demanding the release of hostages in the first two weeks of the 45-day ceasefire and rejects Hamas\u2019s previously proposed time-phased release plan.<\/p>\n In addition, the Israeli side wants to reduce the ratio of Palestinian prisoners to be released in exchange for each hostage. These prisoners include those sentenced to life imprisonment. The latest offer also requests the delivery of the bodies of 16 Israelis held in Gaza. In return, the bodies of Gazans held by Israel will be handed over.<\/p>\n On the other hand, it is claimed that Netanyahu has the support of his far-right coalition partners, who threatened to overthrow his government if he ended the war. However, opinion polls also show that the majority of the public supports ending the war in exchange for the release of the hostages. It is thought that only 24 of the 59 hostages held by Hamas are still alive.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Ceasefire and prisoner exchange negotiations in Gaza have accelerated ahead of US President Donald Trump\u2019s planned Middle East visit in mid-May. It was claimed that Hamas agreed to release more Israeli hostages for a ceasefire, and the US promised to pressure Israel to start permanent ceasefire negotiations. In addition, the disarmament of Hamas under Egyptian […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8934,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[1138,1211,3784,8793,319,582,9135,9133,1334,1400,1628,294,2896,1433,812,4556,3827,950,1237,652,2470,9134,1945,1644,826],"class_list":["post-8933","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-middleeast","tag-benjamin-netanyahu","tag-ceasefire","tag-conflict-resolution","tag-disarmament","tag-donald-trump","tag-egypt","tag-eitan-mor","tag-el-arabiya","tag-gaza","tag-gaza-strip","tag-haaretz","tag-hamas","tag-hostages","tag-international-relations","tag-israel","tag-israeli-palestinian-conflict","tag-khalil-al-hayya","tag-middle-east","tag-negotiations","tag-peace-talks","tag-prisoner-exchange","tag-times-of-israel","tag-truce","tag-us-foreign-policy","tag-war"],"yoast_head":"\n