Report: Israeli Delegation Accepts Compromise on Hostage Swap, Awaits Hamas Response

By Yoni Weiss

The Israeli delegation in Qatar has accepted a U.S.-mediated proposal aiming to resolve the disagreement over the number of Palestinian prisoners to be exchanged for each Israeli hostage, with Israel now waiting for a response from Hamas, according to reports from Israeli media on Motzoei Shabbos.

These reports indicate that there had been significant contention over the exchange ratio, which led to the introduction of the American proposal.

As reported by Channel 12, the Israeli representatives in Qatar are also negotiating the repatriation of Palestinians to northern Gaza, with an expectation that Hamas’ reply might take several days due to the need for approval from its leadership in Gaza.

Mossad Chief David Barnea traveled to Qatar on Friday for discussions with CIA Director William Burns, Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed Al-Thani, and Egyptian Intelligence Minister Abbas Kamal regarding a hostage exchange, a deal that Secretary of State Antony Blinken believes can be reached despite acknowledging the challenging negotiations ahead.

The talks in Qatar were reportedly attended by senior Hamas figures, including Ismail Haniyeh, according to the Channel 12 report.

Al-Jazeera released an exclusive report detailing some terms of the compromise, including Israel’s agreement to allow the return of 2,000 Gazans to northern Gaza Strip two weeks post-agreement. It also mentioned Israel’s rebuttal to Hamas’s demand for the release of 30 prisoners in exchange for each female soldier, offering instead to release five prisoners per female soldier. The report further noted Israel’s request for the return of the remains of Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul, Hy”d.

However, these details have not been officially confirmed by any Israeli authority.