Egyptian and Qatari mediators are set to meet senior Hamas officials in Doha on Saturday to go over a list of Palestinian detainees the group wants Israel to release as part of a hostage swap, sources told The National on Saturday.
The latest negotiations towards a ceasefire and hostage deal between Israel and Hamas began in Doha on July 6 amid high expectations fuelled by upbeat comments made by US President Donald Trump that suggested a deal was within reach.
The talks have over the past week made significant progress but sticking points remain over issues such as the release of Palestinians from Israeli jails and what comes when a proposed 60-day truce ends.
The sources said Saturday's round of discussions will be focused on finding a compromise to overcome Israel’s opposition to the release of high-profile Palestinians serving long jail terms following their conviction on security-related charges.
The most prominent of those prisoners is Marwan Barghouti, a senior leader of the Palestinian Fatah group who is widely viewed as a successor to President Mahmoud Abbas, who is in his 80s.
The sources said the mediators and Hamas officials will also be discussing the mechanisms of distributing humanitarian assistance when a proposed 60-day truce goes into effect.
Hamas, according to the sources, wants the aid to be distributed across the coastal enclave and through UN agencies and their affiliated groups.
Israel is reluctant to abandon plans to create a “humanitarian city” near the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where it wants 600,000 Palestinians to be pushed into and receive aid, the sources said – an arrangement likened by critics to a concentration camp.
Israel does not want UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, to be involved in humanitarian operations in Gaza, a position that reflects Israel’s distrust of the agency that has worked in Gaza for decades.
The UN has warned of famine in the Gaza Strip as supplies are being held back by Israel in lorries at the border. While small amounts are distributed in the north, most of the aid in the south is being handled by the controversial US and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). Its distribution centres have been the scenes of numerous deadly incidents.
At least 32 Palestinians were killed at an aid distribution site in Gaza on Saturday morning, adding to many who have died each day since the inception of the GHF in May.
The sources said that focusing Saturday’s meeting on the Palestinian prisoners and aid did not mean that another key issue – Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza during the proposed truce – has been resolved.
“Some progress has been made on the issue of the withdrawal but more discussions are needed,” said one source. “But everyone agreed it would be good to move to other pending issues that can be completely resolved and then return to the tough one on withdrawal.”
Hamas has repeatedly called for the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from the enclave as part of a truce deal.
Besides the 60-day truce, the main terms of the proposed deal is for Hamas to free 10 living hostages. Mr Trump on Friday said the captives would be released soon.
“We got most of the hostages back. We're going to have another 10 coming very shortly, and we hope to have that finished quickly,” he said.
