Israel is said to be prepared to partially respond to the demands of the Islamist Hamas. The Jewish state would now release 700 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli prisons if Hamas released 40 of around 100 Israeli hostages still alive.
Among those to be released Palestinians would be 100 prisoners sentenced to life sentences for terrorist crimes. Israel also signaled a partial concession to another Hamas demand. After nearly two million people from the northern Gaza Strip fled the war to the central and southern parts of the country, Hamas is demanding that they be allowed to return.