HAMAS Chief Ismael Haniyeh claims that a truce agreement with Israel was in sight, but failed to provide further details of the potential deal.
Meanwhile, although Israel has yet to make an official comment, a CCTV report citing a senior Israeli official said the two sides were “very close to” a deal for the release of some hostages in Gaza later on the day.
The Israeli official also noted there are still technical issues to resolve, and at least 50 people will be freed based on the agreement, while dozens more could be released in exchange for extending a ceasefire beyond the initial few days.
Those to be released are expected to be children, their mothers, and other women.
Earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that his country would not cease fighting until the hostages were safely brought home.
Currently, there are over 240 hostages held captive by Hamas during the October 7 attacks against Israel.
On the other hand, reports citing a Qatari mediator involved in the negotiations mentioned that talks are currently at the “closest point” to reaching an agreement since the conflict began.
To recall, US President Joe Biden, on Monday, expressed his belief that a deal is close, with the White House indicating the possibility of temporary pauses in fighting to facilitate the safe release of hostages.
U.S. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby reiterated at the briefing that the administration believes it’s quote-unquote, “closer than we’ve ever been”, but said there are no updates to publicly discuss.
