Israel has reduced the number of hostages that it wants Hamas to free during the first phase of a new truce in Gaza, according to three Israeli officials, offering a hint of hope for ceasefire negotiations that could restart as soon as Tuesday.
In order to secure a new peace, Israel had been demanding for decades that Hamas transfer at least 40 victims — people, older people, and those who are severely ill. Now the Israeli govt is prepared to settle for only 33, according to the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. One of the officials claimed that Israel now believes that some of the 40 have passed away in captivity, contributing to the change.
Since the shift, Hamas and Israel have been anticipating a closer relationship than a weeklong ceasefire, which was won by Hamas in exchange for 240 Palestinian prisoners. A senior Hamas official, Izzat al- Rishq, said Monday that Hamas was studying a new Israeli proposal, but did not say what the proposal was.
In their attack on October 7th, Hamas and its allies captured roughly 240 Israelis and foreigners. More than 130 hostages are thought to be still being held in Gaza, but some are reportedly dead. Negotiations over a new pause, which will be mediated by Egypt and Qatar, have been stalled for months due to disagreements over how many hostages and prisoners should be exchanged.
Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, said at the World Economic Forum in Riyadh, on Monday that Israel had made an “extraordinarily generous” offer and that Hamas alone stood in the way of a deal.
