Palestinian official told BBC: Ceasefire negotiations in Gaza are 90% complete

A senior Palestinian official involved in the talks told the BBC that talks to reach a ceasefire and release of hostages in Gaza between Israel and Hamas were 90% complete, but key issues remained. is resolved.

One of the main sticking points is Israel’s continued military presence in the Philadelphia corridor, a strategically important strip of land south of Gaza along the border with Egypt.

Palestinian officials shared details of discussions being held in Doha, including the possibility of creating a buffer zone several kilometers wide along the length of Israel’s border with Gaza.

The official said Israel will maintain a military presence in the area.

Once these issues are resolved, a three-phase ceasefire could be agreed within days, they added.

The deal would include an exchange of 20 Palestinian prisoners for each female soldier released in the first of three ceasefire phases.

The names of the prisoners have not yet been agreed upon but will be chosen from about 400 names serving prison sentences of 25 years or more in Israel.

These reportedly do not include senior Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti, whose release Israel is expected to veto.

The Israeli hostages will be released in stages as it is believed that Hamas still needs to locate some of the missing hostages.

Of the 96 hostages still held in Gaza, 62 are believed by Israel to still be alive.

The official said Gaza civilians would be able to return to the north, under Egyptian/Qatari supervision, and that about 500 trucks a day would bring aid into the strip.

In the final phase of the three-phase plan, which will mark the end of the 14-month war, Gaza will be overseen by a commission of technocrats from the enclave who are non-partisan politics before but will receive the support of everyone. Palestinian factions.

In recent weeks, the United States, Qatar and Egypt have resumed mediation efforts and said both sides are more willing to sign a deal.

A round of talks in mid-October failed to reach an agreement when Hamas rejected a proposed short-term ceasefire.

Hamas and two other Palestinian militant groups said reaching a ceasefire agreement in Gaza “has become closer than ever” only if Israel “stops imposing new conditions”.

In a statement on Telegram on Saturday, the group said it held a meeting in Cairo on Friday about ongoing negotiation efforts with representatives of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) and the Front. People’s Battle for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).

The Palestinian Islamic armed group Hamas, which rules Gaza, carried out an unprecedented cross-border attack in southern Israel on October 7, 2023. About 1,200 people were killed and another 251 were kidnapped.

More than 100 hostages have been freed through negotiations or rescue operations by the Israeli military.