Gaza ceasefire talks 90% complete, Palestinian official tells BBC

A senior Palestinian official involved in the talks told the BBC that negotiations between Israel and Hamas on a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release agreement are 90% complete, but major issues remain that need to be bridged.

One of the main points of speculation is the continued Israeli military presence in the Philadelphia Corridor, a strategically important strip of land in southern Gaza along the border with Egypt.

The Palestinian official shared details of discussions taking place in Doha that include the possible creation of a several-kilometre-wide buffer zone along the length of Israel’s border with Gaza.

Israel will maintain military presence in the area, the official said.

He said that with the resolution of these issues, a three-phase ceasefire can be agreed upon within a few days.

The deal would involve an exchange of 20 Palestinian prisoners for every female soldier released in the first three phases of a ceasefire.

The names of the prisoners have not yet been agreed upon, but will be chosen from about 400 names serving prison sentences of 25 years or more in Israel.

They are not believed to include senior Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti, whose release is expected to be vetoed by Israel.

The Israeli hostages will be released in phases, as it is believed that Hamas still needs to locate some missing hostages.

Of the 96 hostages still held in Gaza, 62 are believed by Israel to be still alive.

Under the Egyptian/Qatari monitored system, Gazan civilians will be able to return to the north, the official said, and about 500 trucks per day will bring aid to the strip.

In the final phase of the three-phase plan, which will bring an end to the 14-month war, Gaza will be overseen by a committee of technocrats from the enclave who will have no previous political affiliations but will have the support of all. Palestinian group.

In recent weeks, the US, Qatar and Egypt have resumed their mediation efforts and have expressed greater willingness on both sides to conclude an agreement.

A round of talks in mid-October failed to produce an agreement, with Hamas rejecting a short-term ceasefire proposal.

Hamas and two other Palestinian militant groups said reaching a ceasefire agreement in Gaza would be “closer than ever” only if Israel “stops imposing new conditions”.

In a Telegram statement on Saturday, the group said it held a meeting in Cairo on Friday with representatives of Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).

Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist armed group that rules Gaza, launched an unprecedented cross-border attack into southern Israel on 7 October 2023. About 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were abducted.

More than 100 hostages have been freed through negotiations or Israeli military rescue operations.