Families of Israeli prisoners demonstrate in Tel Aviv to pressure the Netanyahu government to work for their release (Anatolia)

Israel is preparing its citizens for the possibility of concessions such as the release of Palestinian prisoners it classifies as "dangerous," as part of a new prisoner exchange agreement with the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas).

A week-long temporary humanitarian truce between Israel and Hamas ended in early December, during which prisoners and detainees were exchanged between the two sides, and little relief aid and limited quantities of fuel were brought into the Gaza Strip.

Israel's state broadcaster said Israel was discussing with mediators the release of dozens of Israeli detainees, giving priority to women who were not released under the previous deal, elderly people who were injured during captivity and those with chronic illnesses.

The commission quoted an unnamed Israeli source familiar with the details of the negotiations as saying, "The Israeli public must be prepared to make difficult decisions and make concessions regarding the release of 'dangerous' prisoners, and by dangerous prisoners we mean Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons, who have been sentenced to very severe sentences.

Hard deal

The Israel Broadcasting Corporation quoted an unnamed Israeli political official as saying that "it will be much more difficult than drafting the previous agreement," and noted that Israel is considering all options as part of attempts to reach an agreement with Hamas, including the release of prisoners with high sentences.

Israel's Channel 12 quoted an unnamed senior Israeli official as saying, "Israel will be willing to go a long way to return the hostages," and the official added that "if the agreement is implemented, it will be difficult and will require high prices, and the road is still long, I am not sure it will succeed. In any case, the ball is now in the intermediaries' court."

The channel also noted that Israel is working on a deal that will include the release of between 30 and 40 detainees, including women, the elderly and the sick, adding that Israel will consider flexibility in the number of days of the humanitarian truce.

Despite Israel's readiness, this is only the beginning of a process, and it is not known what will happen in the end, yet long days of negotiations are now expected, and Israel wants to convince Hamas leader in Gaza Yahya Sinwar that the deal is worthwhile.

A week versus 40 detainees

The Israeli news site Walla quoted two unnamed Israeli officials as saying that Israel is offering to halt the fighting in Gaza for at least one week, as part of a new deal to get Hamas to release 40 of its detainees.

Israeli officials say the proposal shows that Israel is determined to relaunch serious negotiations for the release of more detainees, even as Hamas says it will not resume negotiations as long as fighting continues.

Israeli officials said Mossad chief David Barnea presented an Israeli proposal on how to relaunch talks on a new deal to secure the release of a group of about 40 detainees.

Under the proposal, the group would include the remaining women held by Hamas, men over the age of 60 and others who are sick or seriously injured and need urgent medical care.

Israel Terms

The Israeli news site Walla reported that Israel also proposed the release of Palestinian prisoners convicted of committing more serious attacks on Israel than those released in the previous deal, and the site quoted Israeli officials as saying that "there are dozens of these Palestinian prisoners who are elderly or sick, and they could be released as part of a humanitarian deal."

If Hamas wants the war to stop, it must lay down its arms and hand over its leaders in Gaza who were responsible for the October 7 attack on Israel that sparked the war.

But the comments clash with Hamas, which refuses to talk about any prisoner swap before the Israeli army withdraws from the Gaza Strip and a comprehensive ceasefire.

Since October 7, the Israeli army has been waging a devastating war on Gaza, which as of Tuesday evening has left 19,667 dead, 52,586 wounded, most of them children and women, massive destruction of infrastructure and an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe, according to the Gaza authorities and the United Nations.

In response to daily Israeli attacks against the Palestinian people and their holy sites, Hamas launched on October 7 the Al-Aqsa flood attack against Israeli military bases and settlements in the vicinity of Gaza.

About 1200,240 Israelis were killed, and Hamas captured about 110, 7800 of whom exchanged with Israel, which holds more than 7,<> Palestinians in its prisons, during a <>-day humanitarian truce that ended on December <> with Qatari-Egyptian-American mediation.

Source : Anadolu Agency