Is a prisoner exchange deal between Hamas and Israel imminent?

Al-Qassam Brigades exchanged some prisoners with Israel during previous truces (Al-Jazeera)

Washington -

Commentators in the American capital, Washington, confirm that wide gaps remain regarding the main issues related to a new deal that guarantees the release of the remaining prisoners, estimated at 132 people, held by the Islamic Resistance Movement “Hamas”, in exchange for Israel allowing the entry of huge quantities of aid and food, with the return of life facilities. basic needs of the Gaza Strip.

Washington is pressing towards reaching a new deal, and in an interview with Al Jazeera Net, Joseph Vitsanakis, professor of intelligence and security studies at Coastal Carolina University, pointed to the importance of William Burns, director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), representing the United States in the prisoner release negotiations as evidence of its seriousness and interest. The adult in this case.

"The CIA's participation in the hostage negotiations did not go unnoticed in political circles in the capital," Vitsanakis said. "There are several possible reasons for this choice, not the least of which is the fact that the Mossad is leading the negotiation process from the Israeli side. The Mossad has a strong partnership with its American counterpart, “Thus facilitating communication between the two sides seems to be a logical step from Washington’s point of view.”

According to officials familiar with the direct and indirect talks between the five parties - Egypt, Qatar, the United States, Israel and Hamas - the talks are generally positive, but a deal is not imminent.

Wide frame

The framework, whose features are gradually emerging and which consists of several stages, calls for the implementation of the first stage of releasing civilian prisoners, starting with the remaining children, women, and the elderly, over a period of 6 weeks, with the release of 3 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel for every civilian hostage returned from Gaza. It is expected that these numbers will rise for Israeli army soldiers who are released at a later stage, followed by Israel handing over the remains of killed soldiers, prisoners and hostages.

The report indicated that the features of the negotiated deal reflect a mixture of different proposals from Israel, Hamas, Qatar, and Egypt, in addition to additional ideas from the United States. The proposals differed regarding the length of the truce period, which ranges from two to three months, in addition to the differences in the rates of prisoner exchange with Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons.

The administration of US President Joe Biden still rejects the idea of ​​a "ceasefire", but supports the idea of ​​a "temporary pause" that would allow the release of detainees and the arrival of additional humanitarian aid to the residents of the Gaza Strip who are in dire need of it.

Many commentators have expressed their optimism about the possibility of pushing the negotiation process toward a sustainable cessation of fighting in Gaza. However, they warned that there are still many details that need to be finalized, and the two sides of the conflict (Israel and Hamas) have not yet commented on the proposals.

American detainees

The US administration believes that a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, even if it is for a specific period, may contribute to preventing the expansion of the Middle East crisis that could lead to major confrontations between the United States, Iran, and the armed groups it supports throughout the region.

The Biden administration blamed armed groups allied with Iran for the killing of 3 American soldiers in a drone attack in Jordan last Sunday. On the other hand, the attacks launched by the Houthis in Yemen on shipping in the Red Sea disrupted shipping through the Suez Canal, which created a ripple effect on the global economy.

President Biden is looking forward to achieving diplomatic success in the form of the release of 6 American prisoners who have been held by Hamas since October 7.

President Biden met with the families of the detainees a few days ago on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of their detention. Biden issued a statement in which he said, “The hostages and their families are at the forefront of my mind as I and my national security team work nonstop to try to secure their freedom.” Biden added: “I once again affirm my pledge to all... "Hostages and their families, we are with you. We will never stop working to bring Americans home."

A few days ago, President Joe Biden spoke by phone with the Emir of the State of Qatar and the Egyptian President, and the White House described Biden’s conversation with the Emir of Qatar as confirming that “the hostage deal is essential for a prolonged humanitarian lull in the fighting and ensuring that additional life-saving humanitarian aid reaches civilians in need throughout Gaza.” .

Prominent Qatari activity

Before arriving in the American capital, Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani met with Burns and the heads of the Israeli and Egyptian intelligence services in Paris, in a meeting aimed at pushing negotiations towards stopping the aggression against the Gaza Strip and releasing prisoners and detainees held by the Hamas movement.

In the discussion session organized by the Atlantic Council in Washington, in which Al Jazeera Net participated, the Qatari Prime Minister said that “the Paris discussions have made good progress to put things back in shape, and at least to establish a basis for moving forward,” and he added: “We are in a much better place than we were before.” A few weeks".

The Qatari Prime Minister described the framework emerging from the discussions in France as a combination of “what the Israelis proposed and what Hamas proposed,” and said: “We tried to mix things together to reach some kind of reasonable ground that brings everyone together.”

The Qatari minister met with Secretary of State Anthony Blinken before the Atlantic Council discussion, and the next day he met with Jake Sullivan, the National Security Advisor. He also met with a number of families of those detained by Hamas, some of whom attended the Atlantic Council discussion session.

After the two ministers met at the US State Department headquarters, Blinken said that he believes that "the proposal is strong and convincing and offers - once again - some hope that we can return to this process. But Hamas must make its own decisions."

For his part, the head of the Hamas political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, said yesterday, Tuesday, that the movement is studying a proposal to stop the fighting in Gaza and exchange prisoners, in a potentially promising sign of reaching an agreement, followed immediately by a reminder of the obstacles ahead.

Haniyeh indicated in a statement that he was open to reaching an agreement, but he adhered to the demand for the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, which was rejected immediately by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“I hear talk about all kinds of deals,” Netanyahu said outside the Bnei David Military Academy in the occupied West Bank. “I would like to make something clear: We will not stop this war without achieving all its goals. This means eliminating Hamas, returning all our hostages, and ensuring that Gaza does not form again.” A threat to Israel."

Source: Al Jazeera