Qatar, Egypt, and the U.S. approached Israel with a request to send a delegation for talks in Sharm El-Sheikh to discuss a prisoner exchange deal, according to a source familiar with the details of the negotiations, who spoke to i24NEWS.
According to the source, technical issues with flights made it impossible for Israelis to reach the area of the talks, and Sharm El-Sheikh was proposed as an alternative. However, a senior Israeli official denied the report, stating, "There was no such request, and when the conditions for talks are met, they will be held in an agreed-upon location."
Additionally, sources familiar with the negotiations noted that talks regarding the hostage deal have been frozen since Israel began its airstrikes on Iran. "Both sides are waiting to see what will happen," said two sources, adding that the new situation is also affecting Hamas.
These sources added that the fact that Israel and the U.S. are acting closely together raises questions for Hamas about the nature of U.S. guarantees in the deal. "Hamas is asking itself what will happen with the U.S. guarantees for this deal," said the sources.
In recent weeks, the sources noted, three main difficulties have arisen in the negotiations. The first difficulty, related to the agreement on the release of 8 prisoners on the first day and 2 prisoners on the 55th day, appears to have been resolved.
However, two difficulties remain unresolved: the first is the depth of Israel's withdrawal during the deal, and the second is what will happen on the 61st day, when disagreements concern halting the fighting and continuing negotiations for the release of the remaining prisoners.