While internal pressure continues on the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Hebrew reports spoke of an expected deal to exchange a group of Israeli prisoners held by Hamas in exchange for a humanitarian truce inside the Gaza Strip.
Observers who spoke to Sky News Arabia believe that the Israeli operation has not succeeded so far in liberating the hostages, while pressure on the government is increasing, and the majority of Israelis agree to the proposal of a broad prisoner exchange deal, in exchange for the release of 240 hostages held by Hamas since October 7.
Hamas demands that Israel release 6,000 Palestinians in exchange for the release of the hostages.
US President Joe Biden urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a phone call, to agree to a three-day ceasefire to allow progress in releasing some prisoners held by the Palestinian resistance.
Internal pressures
The American researcher specializing in Eastern issues, Jacqueline Diaz, believes that Israel will be forced to negotiate the release of the hostages, due to the pressures on which the Netanyahu government is exposed.
Diaz says that Israeli ground forces were able to free a soldier hostage after their incursion into Gaza, but it is unlikely that the forces will be able to free hundreds of others, as Hamas is believed to be holding them in a maze of tunnels and underground rooms.
On the other hand, the families are intensifying pressure on the Israeli government, demanding meetings with Netanyahu, and accusing the government of not giving priority to the release of their loved ones at the expense of the Israeli military bombing of Gaza, which has claimed the lives of at least 10,000 Palestinians.
On the individual level, families increasingly support the idea of exchanging prisoners with Hamas to return their relatives to the homeland, so Netanyahu is required to work first to complete the prisoner file by any means.
Diaz says that the goal of eliminating Hamas may not be compatible with the release of more than 240 hostages, and some Israeli military officials privately admit that a “very painful” deal of some kind may have to be concluded.
Wide deal
Hebrew media reported, on Wednesday evening, that Israel “is ready to consider releasing security prisoners (Palestinian prisoners), in exchange for a large and broad deal that includes the release of a number of those kidnapped by Hamas in Gaza.”
She said, quoting Israeli officials, that “against the backdrop of attempts by Qatar and the United States to reach small deals that lead to a ceasefire, Israel is ready and willing to consider releasing security prisoners, in exchange for a large and broad deal that includes the release of a number of kidnappers.”
It also quoted a senior Israeli official as saying: “There are many options on the table, but there is nothing concrete at the moment.”
The course of negotiations regarding prisoners
Tuesday, November 7, the military wing of the Hamas movement announced that several days ago it was about to release 12 detainees in Gaza who hold foreign nationalities, but Israel obstructed that.
He added in a statement, published by the movement’s Palestinian Information Center website: “We still confirm that we are ready to release them, but the situation on the ground and the Zionist aggression that threatens their lives prevent this from being done.”
This came hours after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told ABC News that Israel would consider “short tactical truces” in the fighting in Gaza to facilitate the entry of humanitarian aid or allow the exit of people detained by Hamas.
But in response to a question about the cessation of hostilities and what concerns the hostages, he replied: “Well, there will be no general ceasefire in Gaza without the release of our hostages.”
Tel Aviv had previously rejected an offer from Hamas on October 28 that it was ready to release all hostages, but in exchange for the release of all Palestinian prisoners.
There were 5,250 Palestinians in Israeli prisons as of last October 3, according to a statistic published by the Palestinian News Agency, Wafa, while Hamas has been holding 239 Israeli prisoners and those holding foreign passports since October 7, according to the Israeli army.
What might a prisoner exchange look like?
A comprehensive prisoner exchange would result in Israel releasing all of its Palestinian prisoners.
Among the prisoners are about 560 serving life sentences for killing Israeli civilians and soldiers over the course of decades, according to Qaddoura Fares, a Palestinian official in the West Bank who supervises the affairs of prisoners. He added that among them are about 65 women and 250 minors.
Israel is now engaged in what Israeli National Security Advisor Tzachi Hanegbi described, on October 31, as the “third phase” of the Gaza war, which includes intensifying ground operations in the northern Gaza Strip.
Hanegbi, in turn, expected the war to be prolonged, saying: “It is a difficult campaign and requires intense fighting… There is no fighting without a painful price. We are fighting as a nation, despite the pain. We are determined to win despite the pain.”
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2023-11-10 04:55:45
