According to the New York Times, Hamas offered to organize such an exchange shortly before the start of the Israeli ground operation in Gaza, but Israeli authorities rejected the deal.
The Palestinian Resistance movement Hamas is discussing the possible release of up to 15 captives in exchange for a humanitarian ceasefire that would allow the organization of humanitarian aid deliveries to the Gaza Strip, the New York Times reported on Wednesday, citing sources.
According to the US-based newspaper, under the terms of the deal discussed by Hamas, Israel will suspend attacks for three days, which will allow “for humanitarian aid to be shipped into the enclave and hostages to be transported out.”
Israel continued its bombing campaign in various parts of central and southern Gaza. In northern Gaza, Israeli strikes were accompanied by fierce fighting at several fronts.https://t.co/ulFMYzCPwP pic.twitter.com/CvHLDUQ1bu
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) November 9, 2023
The New York Times emphasized that the deal includes several American citizens currently held by Hamas in Gaza. However, the exact number of captives to be released remains under discussion.
The talks, which involve US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director William Burns, are reportedly being mediated by Qatar.
The New York Times pointed out that US officials, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, are actively working on finalizing the deal.
According to the newspaper, representatives of Hamas offered to organize such an exchange shortly before the start of the Israeli ground operation in Gaza, but Israeli authorities “doubted Hamas’s sincerity” and rejected the deal, authorizing the start of the offensive.
NYT: Negotiations are underway for Hamas to release about 15 hostages and for Israel to stop its attacks on Gaza for 3 days.
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— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) November 9, 2023
On November 7, the news website Axios reported that US President Joe Biden proposed to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to suspend hostilities in the Gaza Strip for three days to free some of the captives held by Hamas.
A senior Israeli official, for his part, told the US newspaper Politico that Israeli authorities are ready to suspend hostilities if Hamas releases a significant number of hostages.
On November 6, at an online briefing, White House National Security Council Strategic Communications Coordinator John Kirby raised the issue of a possible suspension of military operations in Gaza for humanitarian purposes but admitted that there were no specifics on the matter yet.
CHAIRMAN OF US SENATE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE: Israel is losing global public opinion, and protests everywhere show this.
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— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) November 8, 2023
Israel has, thus far, killed over 10,569, including 4,324 children and 2,823 women, and wounded 26,475 wounded. Palestinian Ministry of Health reports and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.
Despite a massive Israeli military buildup around the Gaza borders and sporadic infiltrations on the outskirts of the besieged Strip, Palestinian Resistance continues to repel Israeli attacks.
To justify its military failure, the Israeli army continues to pound civilian homes throughout the Gaza Strip with new massacres reported everywhere in the besieged enclave.
Gaza has been under a tight Israeli military siege since 2007, following a democratic election in occupied Palestine, the results of which were rejected by Tel Aviv and Washington.
(TASS, PC)
