Pressure has been mounting on Israel and Hamas to come to an agreement before Israel begins the latest military operation in Rafah.
(photo credit: MIRIAM ALSTER/FLASH90)
A Hamas official told AFP on Sunday, “There are no substantial disputes with the deal for a ceasefire and the release of hostages that Israel proposed.”
Pressure has been mounting on Israel and Hamas to come to an agreement before Israel begins the latest military operation in Rafah.
Negotiation teams are expected to meet in Cairo on Monday to discuss the latest proposal for a hostage deal that would avert an Israeli invasion of Rafah.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz signaled on Saturday that Israel would be willing to call off an invasion of Rafah if Hamas accepted the hostage deal. “If there is a deal, we will suspend the operation,” he told Israel’s Channel 12.
Protestors have ramped up pressure on the Israeli government following the release of two videos of hostages being held in Gaza pleading to be released.
Hamas officials told AFP, “The atmosphere is positive unless there are new Israeli obstacles,” and “There are no major issues in the observations and inquiries submitted by Hamas regarding the contents.”
Attempts to talk Israel out of an invasion of Rafah have become increasingly intense, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Joe Biden speaking at length about the situation on Sunday evening.
During the conversation, Biden reiterated his support for Israel’s security and discussed options for the return of the hostages.
The deal currently on the table would see around 20 hostages, including women, the elderly, and soldiers, released over the course of three weeks in return for the release of around 500 Palestinian prisoners and the return of 300,000 people to North Gaza, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Following the three-week ceasefire, a ten-week truce would come into effect, an Egyptian source told Maariv.
During that time, Israel and Hamas will be expected to reach a long-term ceasefire agreement which would see the withdrawal of Israel forces from their bisecting positions in the Strip, however the IDF will still be able to stop and check Palestinians crossing into the North.
As reported by The Jerusalem Post