Channel 12 quoted an unnamed Israeli diplomatic source as saying, "Hamas has now agreed to the prisoner exchange deal because it seeks to prevent Israeli military forces from entering Gaza City."
The source added, "There is no confirmation that Tel Aviv has accepted a partial prisoner exchange deal and a ceasefire in Gaza."
He claimed that "Hamas' response is 98% consistent with (US President's Middle East envoy Steve) Witkoff's proposal, which Israel had previously agreed to," he said.
He said, "Hamas submitted its response regarding the prisoner swap to the Qatari Prime Minister (Mohammed bin Abdulrahman) this evening (yesterday, Sunday) during a meeting in Egypt," while Hamas confirmed its acceptance of the proposal.
In the same context, Channel 10 correspondent Barak Ravid noted in a post on the X platform that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commented on the news of the exchange deal and Hamas's approval of it, saying, "Like you, I hear the reports in the media, and from them you can get one impression: Hamas is under tremendous pressure," he said.
However, the Israeli Broadcasting Authority quoted unnamed informed sources as saying that "negotiations for a partial deal took place with Netanyahu's approval and knowledge."
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The sources explained that the new Egyptian-Qatari proposal for a deal between Hamas and Israel "is very similar to Witkoff's original proposal, which calls for the release of 10 living prisoners and the return of 18 bodies, in exchange for a 60-day ceasefire and negotiations to end the war."
Earlier, Hamas said in a statement that it "informed its approval of the proposal presented to it yesterday by the Egyptian and Qatari mediators."
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 human rights reports.
It's worth noting that Hamas has repeatedly declared its willingness to release Israeli prisoners "in bulk" 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.
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 62,004 Palestinians dead and 156,230 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 263 people, including 112 children.
