Hamas is about to finalize a ceasefire with Israel, will release 33 hostages?

(Dan Tri) - Negotiations between Hamas and Israel have made progress and the Palestinian armed group may soon release Tel Aviv hostages.

The Hamas-Israel war has been going on for over a year (Photo: Reuters).

Hamas is expected to release 33 hostages in the first phase of a ceasefire deal being finalized by negotiators in Doha, Qatar, according to two Israeli officials.

Israel believes most of the 33 hostages are still alive, a senior Tel Aviv official said on January 13. However, the bodies of the dead hostages may also be among those released in the first phase of the truce, which is expected to last 42 days.

According to the Israeli government, Hamas and its allies still hold 94 hostages kidnapped from Israel in attacks on October 7, 2023, with at least 34 of them killed.

The senior Israeli official said the parties appeared close to reaching an agreement and Israel was ready to implement it immediately once it was signed.

US President Joe Biden expressed similar optimism in a speech on January 13 focused on foreign policy, saying the US was "working very hard to get this done."

“The agreement that we have forged will release the hostages, stop the fighting, provide security for Israel and allow us to dramatically increase humanitarian assistance to the Palestinians who have suffered immensely in this war that Hamas started. They have been through hell,” Biden said.

A diplomat close to the talks said the final round of talks aimed at resolving the remaining issues is expected to take place in Doha on January 14 (local time). On the same day, some families of the hostages have been invited to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The release of the 33 hostages will be the first phase of the deal being finalised. Negotiations to reach a second phase to end hostilities will begin on January 16th from the date the first part of the deal was implemented.

Under the latest proposals, Israeli forces would maintain a presence along the Philadelphia Corridor — a narrow strip of land along the Egypt-Gaza border — during the first phase of the deal, officials said.

Tel Aviv will also maintain a buffer zone inside Gaza along the border with Israel, the source said. It is unclear how large the buffer zone will be, but it is another contentious issue in the negotiations. A Hamas official told CNN earlier that the group wants the buffer zone to return to its pre-October 7, 2023 size of 300-500 meters from the border, while Israel has demanded 2,000 meters.

People in the northern Gaza Strip will be allowed to freely return to the northern part of the strip.

Palestinian prisoners accused of killing Israelis will not be released into the West Bank but will be transferred to the Gaza Strip or abroad after agreements with other countries.

Qadura Fares, head of the Palestinian Committee for Prisoners and Former Prisoners, said he was traveling to Doha, Qatar to advise negotiators on a list of prisoners to be released "in case the deal is made."

A senior Israeli official said a “breakthrough” in the talks occurred on the evening of January 12, during a meeting between Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency chief David Barnea and mediators in Doha, Qatar.

“Things are getting closer than ever to a deal, but mediators in Doha are still waiting for an official response from both sides,” said a Saudi official briefed on the talks.

Israel launched a war against Hamas in Gaza in response to attacks by the Palestinian militant group in October 2023 that left about 1,200 people dead and 250 hostages taken. Since then, Israel's military campaign has killed at least 46,565 Palestinians in Gaza and injured more than 100,000 others.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-gioi/hamas-sap-chot-lenh-ngung-ban-voi-israel-se-tha-33-con-tin-20250114071254128.htm