Israel And Hamas Could Soon Strike Deal To Release Hostages

Some of the 98 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza may be coming home soon following a breakthrough in negotiations between Israel and the terror group.

Mediators delivered both Israel and Hamas a final draft of a hostage and ceasefire deal on Monday, which has fueled optimism that the hostages will soon be released after being kidnapped 465 days ago.

Hamas has not yet sent its final answer on the deal, but a source told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that if there were no major changes, then the “response will be positive,” reported the Jerusalem Post.

A Hamas official reportedly told CNN that the two parties were “very close to an agreement.” On Monday, Deputy National Security Adviser Jon Finer told CNN “there has been significant progress made.”

Kan News reported that Israeli Defense Forces officials directed relevant Israeli government entities to prepare for the possibility of hostages arriving after an agreement takes effect.

About half of the hostages in Gaza — a mix of Israelis, Americans, elderly, women, children, and soldiers — are believed to be alive. Seven American hostages are still in Gaza, including Edan Alexander, Itay Chen, Sagui Dekel-Chen, Gadi Haggai, Judi Weinstein Haggai, Omer Neutra, and Keith Siegel.

According to the Jerusalem Post, 33 hostages will be released during the first phase of the deal and on the 16th day of the deal, negotiations are expected to begin for the following stages. The first phase is reportedly anticipated to last 42 days.

Envoys of both President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump joined negotiations, the Jerusalem Post reported. Netanyahu spoke with Biden on Sunday to discuss the progress in the negotiations taking place in Doha. Netanyahu’s office released a statement in which the prime minister thanked both Biden and Trump for “cooperating in this sacred mission.”

Earlier this month, Trump warned there would be “all hell to pay” if the hostages were not released before he takes office.

“Everybody is talking about the hostages who are being held so violently, inhumanely, and against the will of the entire World, in the Middle East – But it’s all talk, and no action!” he wrote. “Please let this TRUTH serve to represent that if the hostages are not released prior to January 20, 2025, the date that I proudly assume Office as President of the United States, there will be ALL HELL TO PAY in the Middle East, and for those in charge who perpetrated these atrocities against Humanity. Those responsible will be hit harder than anybody has been hit in the long and storied History of the United States of America. RELEASE THE HOSTAGES NOW!”

Various Israeli factions have opposed any deal that permits the release of Hamas terrorists. On Monday, the head of the Benjamin Regional Council and chairman of the Yesha Council — a group that represents municipal councils in Judea and Samaria — wrote to Netanyahu opposing a deal that includes such terms, the Jerusalem Post reported.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called the emerging agreement a “catastrophe” for Israel’s security, Jewish News Syndicate reported.

“The emerging deal is a catastrophe for the national security of the State of Israel,” said Smotrich. “We will not be part of a surrender deal that includes the release of arch-terrorists, halting the war, undermining the achievements that were secured with many lives lost, and abandoning numerous hostages.”

Hamas reportedly ordered its militants to be on high alert and avoid being in public, in case of Israeli assassinations before the agreement, according to a Monday report by Ashraq al-Awsat.