Israel has presented Hamas with a list of 34 hostages it wants released as part of a potential deal, including some that don’t meet Hamas’s criteria for release. The list includes soldiers in Israeli custody, who Hamas claims should not be released unless the sick, elderly, and children are also freed.
The proposed deal involves the exchange of 250 Palestinian prisoners for Israeli hostages. Key issues to resolve include the Rafah crossing, IDF withdrawal from the Netzarim Axis, and the return of displaced Gazans.
Hamas denies reports that an Israeli delegation met with Egyptian officials in Cairo on Friday to discuss a deal. However, Hamas’s negotiating team has held talks with representatives of Islamic Jihad and PFLP, which say progress is 90% complete.
The sticking point now lies between the Philadelphi corridor and buffer zone proposals, with Israel insisting on its withdrawal from the area. An Egyptian-Qatari-American-Israeli meeting is planned to discuss the truce agreement in Gaza.
Source: https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-834375