CAIRO (AP) — Israel and Hamas are nearing a new deal that would release some of the roughly 130 hostages held in the Gaza Strip in return for a week-long pause in the war, now in its fifth month.
US President Joe Biden says a deal could come into force as early as Monday, ahead of what is considered an unofficial deadline – the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, around March 10.
A deal would bring some relief to the desperate people of Gaza who have suffered a staggering toll, as well as to the desperate families of Israeli hostages taken during the Oct. 7 Hamas attack that sparked the war.
Here's a look at the emerging agreement.
OVERVIEW OF THE OFFER
A six-week ceasefire would take effect and Hamas would agree to release up to 40 hostages – mostly civilian women, at least two children and elderly and sick prisoners, according to a senior Egyptian official. Israel will release at least 300 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli prisons, the official said.
Israel would also allow displaced Palestinians to return to certain areas in the northern Gaza Strip, which was the first target of Israel's ground offensive and suffered widespread destruction, according to the official from Egypt, which is brokering the deal along with the United States and Qatar.
The Egyptian official said aid deliveries would be increased during the ceasefire, with 300 to 500 trucks entering the beleaguered area daily, far more than the daily average number of trucks entering since the start of the war.
Deliveries to areas across the Gaza Strip would be facilitated by Israel, whose forces would refrain from attacks on them and the police escorting the aid convoys, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to share details of the talks to discuss journalists.
ADHESIVE DOTS
Despite Biden's optimism, both sides continue to push for a final agreement even as talks in Qatar continue. Both Israeli and Hamas officials downplayed any progress.
Israel and Hamas have historically diverged on their terms for an agreement, dragging out negotiations that appeared to have momentum.
Israel wants all female soldiers to be included in the first phase of the hostage release, according to an Israeli official who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the ongoing talks. Hamas views all soldiers as a more important bargaining chip and is likely to push back on this demand. The Egyptian official said the female soldiers were being held back at this point until after the initial release.
The Egyptian official said the sides also discussed how many Palestinians should be allowed to return to the northern Gaza Strip and whether their returns should be limited to women and men over 50.
The talks will also determine from which areas in the Gaza Strip Israel will withdraw its troops, the Egyptian official said, adding that Israel wants Hamas not to use the areas it leaves behind as bases for attacks. They also want Hamas to stop firing rockets into southern Israel. Hamas has so far rejected both demands, the official said.
The emerging deal leaves the door open for Israel to take action in the southern border town of Rafah once it expires. More than half of Gaza's population has fled to the southern city on the Egyptian border. Israel reportedly wants to destroy the few remaining Hamas battalions.
WHAT ELSE IS TO BE NEGOTIATED?
During the temporary ceasefire, both sides would negotiate an extension of the deal, which the Egyptian official said would include the release of all female soldiers in exchange for increased numbers of imprisoned Palestinians, including those serving long prison sentences for deadly attacks.
After the female soldiers, Israel will seek to release male soldiers, for whom Hamas will likely demand a heavy price. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed not to agree to a deal at any price. But the families of the hostages, whose plight has deeply shocked Israelis, are likely to increase their pressure if others are released.
The U.S. hopes the new agreement will be a starting point for implementing its vision of a postwar Gaza Strip that would eventually lead to the establishment of a Palestinian state. They want Gaza to be ruled by a revamped Palestinian Authority that would administer part of the Israeli-occupied West Bank. On Monday, it took a first step that could usher in U.S.-backed reforms by dissolving the self-rule government.
Israel wants to retain overall security control in the Gaza Strip and has refused to allow world powers to impose a state on it.
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Goldenberg reported from Jerusalem. Josef Federman also contributed from Jerusalem.