Hamas's approval is last hurdle to hostage deal finalization, sources say - report

Hamas’s consent is all that remains left to achieve a hostage release deal, as all other factors have already been agreed upon, a Saturday night N12 report claimed, citing sources familiar with the matter.

The report comes as an Israeli delegation has left for Qatar once again to engage in negotiations with the aim of reaching a hostage deal.

One of the main obstacles to reaching a deal is reportedly Hamas’s refusal to give the names of the hostages who would be released. The Hamas delegation claimed that they needed a week to locate all the hostages, the report noted.

Officials also confirmed reports that Israel has been seeking to increase the number of live hostages released in the deal. Israel’s new request has asked Hamas to release hostages who are not considered “classic humanitarian cases,” as defined in previous negotiations, the report said.

Hostages square Tel Aviv (credit: Shannon Stapleton/Reuters)

Israel’s new terms

It also added that Israel’s list of hostages to be released includes men under the age of 50, despite Hamas’s claim that this deviates from previous agreements. The terror group is, therefore, demanding a different set of prisoner releases in exchange for Israel’s new requests.

The report added that mediators were eager to finalize a deal before President-elect Donald Trump’s upcoming inauguration on January 20.

Regarding the key points of negotiations, what has already been agreed upon were matters related to the Philadelphi Corridor, the Netzarim Corridor, and the number of Palestinian prisoners to be released, N12 said.

The report continued that senior Israeli officials insisted on conveying their cautious optimism regarding the deal.

The officials reportedly claimed that “it will be possible to reach a deal and bridge the gaps between the parties in the coming weeks.”