Kan reports that Israel remains optimistic about the chances for a prisoner exchange deal, despite the Hamas declaration that the organization will continue to demand a ceasefire as a precondition for any such deal.
Israel is still awaiting an official answer from Hamas through Qatari mediators, following a Monday War Cabinet meeting on the subject that lasted approximately five hours.
Hamas announced Monday that a precondition for any prisoner exchange deal would be a total ceasefire and the withdrawal of IDF courses from the Gaza Strip. Israel has declared such a condition unacceptable.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken commented on the negotiations: “I believe the offer on the table to be strong and convincing. Hamas must make a decision.”
The plan formulated at the Paris Summit includes three phases: in the first phase, forty women, children, and sick elderly hostages will be released in exchange for a ceasefire of one and a half months, and the release of thousands of convicted terrorists. The second phase will include the release of non-military men, extending the ceasefire, and the release of thousands more of terrorists. In the third phase, soldiers will be released, and there will be further extensions of the ceasefire, alongside the release of terrorists serving extended sentences for serious terrorist activity.