Israel could see the more than 130 hostages being held by Hamas finally freed and the terror group’s leaders exiled in exchange for Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza under a new deal drafted by Qatar, reports said.
Israel’s war cabinet is set to meet on Wednesday to discuss a new proposal submitted by Qatari negotiators that calls for Hamas’ permanent exile from Gaza to restore peace to the Palestinian enclave, according to local Channel 13 News.
The deal allegedly includes provisions for Hamas to gradually release all the remaining hostages in Gaza so long as Israel agrees to withdraw entirely from the Strip.
Once the IDF and the hostages are out, Hamas’ top brass — who have ruled over the territory for 17 years — will then also leave Gaza, the proposal reportedly states.
The potential deal is expected to face resistance from both sides as the conflict rages since Hamas’ devastating terror attack on Oct 7.
While Israel has repeatedly stated that the war in Gaza will not conclude without Hamas’ total destruction, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his war cabinet are facing mounting pressure to accept a deal that could end the months-long suffering of the hostages still being held by Hamas.
The families of those being held have pleaded for a potential path forward that would see the return of their loved ones.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which has held demonstrations in Tel Aviv for weeks, called on the war cabinet to approve any deal being proposed by Qatari negotiators, whose previous deal saw the freedom of more than 100 hostages in November.
“The reports about a new deal that will be presented to the cabinet this evening offer a little hope to the families who are anxious about the fate of their loved ones – who have been suffering in the Hamas tunnels for almost 100 days and nights without food, water, and life-saving medical treatment,” the forum said in a statement Wednesday.
“The war cabinet must not concern itself with anything other than the return of the abductees,” it added. “We demand that they approve any deal that will lead to their immediate release alive!”
Along with Israel’s apparent hesitation, it remains unclear if Hamas would agree to a proposal that would require the group to exit Gaza.
Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas’ political leader, has reiterated that it will only free the remaining hostages from Gaza once Israel agrees to release every Palestinian prisoner being held in Israeli jails.
“They will absolutely not retrieve their captives except after all our prisoners in occupation prisons are released,” Haniyeh said during a conference in Qatar Tuesday.
While Israel’s war cabinet meets, delegates from the Jewish State have arrived in Cairo to speak with Egyptian, Qatari and US negotiators regarding a possible cease-fire deal in Gaza.
The talks in Cairo will also primarily focus on having Hamas release more hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, the Times of Israel reports.