Israeli representatives indicated on Wednesday that considerable headway has been achieved toward finalizing an accord with the Hamas terror group aimed at securing the return of Israeli hostages.
“There has been a breakthrough. We’re working on tying up the last loose ends before a final agreement,” the officials said, emphasizing that the arrangement will likely be inked later in the day or on Thursday.
If the accord is formally concluded on Thursday, the initial three captives might be freed on Sunday. On the seventh day of the arrangement, four hostages will be released, followed on the 14th, 21st, 28th, and 35th days by three more each time, and in the closing week, the last 14 individuals will be released.
This development follows a pivotal early-morning meeting of the Hamas leadership, during which they reached consensus on all issues and overcame every dispute. Mohammed Sinwar, who leads the Hamas terror faction in Gaza and is the brother of Yahya Sinwar—the architect of the October 7 massacre—has provided his endorsement of the ceasefire-prisoner swap plan, “in principle,” the Wall Street Journal revealed.
According to the same report, Sinwar’s endorsement came after an entire day of silence from Hamas and surfaced just hours after the group declared that the arrangement was nearing completion.
The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office dismissed claims that Hamas had offered a definitive positive response: “Contrary to reports, the Hamas terrorist organization has yet to provide an answer regarding the deal.”
Throughout the negotiations, Hamas consented—according to what the WSJ described—to oral assurances from the US, Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey that Israel will persist in talks for a lasting ceasefire once the first phase of the deal concludes.
Meanwhile, a Palestinian Arab contact informed Kan News that progress was made in the discussions, and an announcement of a pact is anticipated on Thursday.
The contact elaborated that a crucial gathering ended in the early hours of the morning, during which Hamas leaders found agreement on every issue and settled all disputes, including almost all of the details concerning Israel’s pullback from Gaza.
The same source noted that the agreement could start to be carried out within a day or two once it is made public.
{Matzav.com}