Occupied Jerusalem- Israeli media reported information that negotiations on the release of “part of the detainees” held by Hamas and the Palestinian factions in Gaza, with Qatari, Egyptian and American mediation, have achieved remarkable progress that may bring the deal into effect soon.
According to these sources, Hamas has agreed to the broad outlines of the deal, while Israel is still discussing some details.
According to the latest report issued by the Israeli army spokesman, the Islamic Resistance Movement “Hamas” and the Palestinian factions captured about 240 people, Israelis and foreigners, including children, women and the elderly, during the battle.Al-Aqsa flood“And the sudden attack of my fighters Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades on settlements”Gaza coverAnd the Western Negev on October 7th.
Israeli society is experiencing a state of anxiety amid the uncertainty of the fate of detainees Gaza stripIn light of the intensification of the battles and the war on the Gaza Strip entering its 41st day without achieving its declared goals by the Israeli government of eliminating “Hamas” politically and militarily and liberating them without an exchange deal, amid the escalation of the protests of the families of the detainees.
Netanyahu’s obsessions
These protests attract the attention of the Israeli street and put pressure on the Netanyahu government to release all detainees immediately, even if the price is a comprehensive exchange deal.
Netanyahu’s evasive discussions and lack of response to deal proposals that were put forward even at the beginning of the war, according to the Haaretz newspaper, reflected the government’s opposition to any deal.
These positions express Netanyahu’s concerns about paying the price for an exchange deal and portraying it as an achievement for Hamas, especially since it will be the first implemented by Israel during a war.
According to the official Israeli radio “Kan”, Hamas agreed to release 50 Israeli detainees, women and children, in the first phase, in exchange for Israel’s release of all Palestinian female prisoners, child prisoners, the elderly, and the sick.
The political correspondent of the Walla website, Barak Ravid, revealed the conditions referred to in the expected deal, and the basic disagreements surrounding it.
Israel’s procrastination
According to Ravid, during the talks, two proposals for potential deals were formulated. The main gap in positions centers on the duration of the ceasefire that Israel will agree to as part of this step, between 7, 5, or 3 days, and the number of Israeli detainees who will be released.
He stressed that Israel made clear to the mediators that it would not agree to a temporary ceasefire unless it included the release of a large number of detainees held by Hamas and other factions in Gaza, without revealing the number of hostages requested by the occupation government.
The political correspondent stated that Hamas initially demanded a truce for 7 days, but the Qatari mediators were able to reduce its demand to only 5 days, while Israel at this stage only agrees to a 3-day truce.
Within this proposal, Hamas will release 50 children and women on the first day of the truce, and it can release them immediately without the need to coordinate with other organizations that are also detaining dozens of Israelis.
After the first day, the movement will release about 10 hostages daily for the remainder of the days of the truce. In such a case, the release of 70 kidnapped persons could be achieved within a 3-day truce, and 90 others within a 5-day truce.
As part of this proposal, Israel will gradually release Palestinian female prisoners, Palestinian minors, and elderly Palestinian prisoners detained in its prisons, according to the sources.
The sources stated that the proposal also includes introducing fuel to hospitals and bakeries in the Gaza Strip under the supervision of the United Nations, as well as a commitment to increase the number of aid trucks entering the Strip daily from Egypt to 200 trucks, and for this purpose Egyptian approval and assistance are needed.
Dr. Moran Kindelstein of the Israel Democracy Institute says that the issue of the prisoner exchange deal, which has returned to the agenda, is one of the most sensitive issues that the Israeli government must deal with.
She added, “Over the years, several draft laws have been introduced that seek to establish principles applicable to ‘ransom of prisoners and kidnapped’ transactions.”
In 2008, a public committee was appointed, headed by retired Supreme Court Chief Justice Meir Shamgar, with the aim of formulating principles for conducting negotiations to “liberate” the prisoners. The committee presented its conclusions in 2012. Kindelstein explains that it “remains secret to this day.”
The price of Israel’s shock
Although the committee’s recommendations regarding powers regarding reaching the exchange deal were presented to the political and security cabinet in 2014, they were never put to a vote. A petition to publish the committee’s full report, which has been classified as “top secret,” was rejected, according to Kindlestein.
In 2014, the Knesset took the initiative to amend the “Government Law,” which for the first time regulates the government’s authority to decide on the early release of prisoners for reasons related to security and the management of foreign relations.
Article 8B of the law gives the government the authority to decide to release prisoners for the reasons stated in the text of the law, which stipulates that the release be carried out and an exchange deal reached under conditions specified by it as “the release of kidnapped or captured Israeli citizens or residents of Israel.”
These circumstances also include “recovering the bodies of prisoners or receiving information about them or about kidnapped or missing Israeli citizens or residents of Israel,” “good political intentions,” and “a political agreement that includes a temporary settlement or understandings.”
Israeli journalist Nir Kipnis, a presenter on Radio Tel Aviv, wrote an article entitled “The hostage deal is approaching. Will it be a victory for Israel or Hamas?” On the Walla website, he pointed out that Israel is approaching the moment of making an almost impossible decision in the case of its detainees.
Kipnis wondered whether the exchange deal, the liberation of Israeli detainees, and their return would be a victory for the Netanyahu government or for Hamas.
The Israeli journalist says that the problem is not only the difficulty of deciding on the exchange deal, “but that the mere fact that there is a realistic discussion in the corridors and in the Israeli government is impossible,” saying that an exchange deal is being discussed while Israel is still on the battlefield, “which sums up everything.” the scene”.
It is believed that the protests and the “Free the Israeli Detainees” campaign achieve a victory over the Israeli government, especially since the goals of the war in Gaza are changing before the eyes of Israeli society, after in the first days they aimed to defeat Hamas, kill its leaders, and destroy its political and military capabilities “as if there is no file.” “Detained.”
Kipnis explained that at the beginning of the war, the file of Israeli detainees was largely viewed as part of the victims and the price of trauma that Israel paid during the “Al-Aqsa Flood.”
He added that Netanyahu’s government initially considered the process of capturing the detainees as a secondary or at least not obvious disaster, but the issue gradually turned into a burning issue and a priority for Israeli society, “even more important than the course and continuation of the war.”
