According to the newspaper, sources familiar with the indirect talks between Israel and Hamas reported that "the discussions are still in their early stages and are proceeding slowly," while foreign diplomats explained that "Israel's anger over the number of bodies of prisoners returned so far is not hindering progress in the negotiations."
Haaretz noted that the second phase also includes the establishment of a "Peace Council," led by President Trump and including former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, to coordinate Gaza reconstruction efforts, as well as to examine a mechanism for disarming Hamas and ensuring its implementation.
On Monday and Tuesday, Hamas handed over the bodies of eight Israeli prisoners to Israel, after releasing 20 living prisoners in exchange for Israel's release of 250 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences and 1,718 others arrested in Gaza after October 8, 2023.
More than 10,000 Palestinian prisoners, including women and children, remain languishing in Israeli prisons, suffering torture, starvation, and medical neglect. Many of them have been killed, according to Palestinian and Israeli human rights and media reports.
In this context, the Israeli Broadcasting Authority announced that the "political echelon" decided Wednesday morning to reopen the Rafah border crossing with Egypt and resume the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. This decision follows Hamas's handover of the bodies of four detainees on Tuesday evening, amid expectations that four more will be handed over in the coming hours.
The decision comes a day after Hebrew reports indicated that Israel had decided to postpone the opening of the crossing and reduce the entry of aid, before reversing the decision under the new understandings.
Hamas says it needs more time to retrieve the bodies of 20 other prisoners still inside the Gaza Strip, affirming its commitment to a comprehensive ceasefire, a full withdrawal of Israeli forces, and the refusal to abandon "the weapons of resistance."
With American support, Israel has been committing genocide in Gaza since October 7, 2023, leaving 67,913 martyrs and 170,134 wounded, most of them children and women, and causing a famine that claimed the lives of 463 Palestinians, including 157 children.
Israel has occupied Palestine and territories in Syria and Lebanon for decades, and refuses to withdraw from these areas and establish an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, along the pre-1967 borders.