Haaretz quoted informed Israeli sources as saying that "Israeli political officials fear that Egypt and Qatar will propose a partial or gradual exchange deal, despite Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's statements" about the need to release all prisoners at once.
Earlier on Saturday, Netanyahu said in a statement from his office that he would not agree to an agreement with Hamas unless it met Tel Aviv's conditions and included the "one-time release" of prisoners. He stressed that "the agreement must be consistent with Israeli demands or conditions for ending the war, namely the disarmament of the Palestinian movement and the demilitarization of Gaza."
Haaretz noted that the potential proposal from Egypt and Qatar is based on "understandings reached by US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and partial understandings reached between the two sides in negotiations that collapsed last month," without providing further details.
For its part, the Hebrew newspaper Israel Hayom reported on Saturday that the United States "proposed a new draft to reach a permanent solution in the Gaza Strip, to be implemented in stages."
The newspaper noted that "the proposal begins with the Witkoff Plan and ends with a permanent ceasefire and international rule over the Gaza Strip during the implementation period of the Witkoff proposal."
Discussion of these proposals comes amidst recent efforts to revive negotiations between Hamas and Israel, following the stalemate that gripped the negotiations last month when Tel Aviv and Washington withdrew their delegations from a round of negotiations in Doha.
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Tel Aviv estimates that there are 50 Israeli prisoners in Gaza, 20 of whom are still alive. More than 10,800 Palestinians are languishing in its prisons, suffering torture, starvation, and medical neglect, many of whom have died, according to Palestinian and Israeli human rights and media reports.
Hamas has repeatedly declared its willingness to release Israeli prisoners "in one batch" in exchange for an end to the war of extermination, the withdrawal of the Israeli occupation army from Gaza, and the release of Palestinian prisoners.
However, the Israeli opposition and prisoners' families assert that Netanyahu is seeking partial deals that would allow the war to continue, ensuring his continued hold on power. He fears the collapse of his government if the more extreme faction, which opposes an end to the war, withdraws.
With American support, Israel has been committing genocide in Gaza since October 7, 2023, including killing, starvation, destruction, and forced displacement, ignoring all international calls and orders from the International Court of Justice to halt it.
The Israeli genocide left 61,897 Palestinians dead and 155,660 injured, most of them children and women. More than 9,000 people were missing, hundreds of thousands were displaced, and a famine claimed the lives of 251 people, including 108 children.
