Israel requests 34 hostages in first phase of deal, including 11 off-limits by Hamas - report

Israel reportedly presented Hamas with a list of 34 hostages that it insists must be released as part of the first phase of a deal, including 11 names that do not meet Hamas’s criteria for a deal, Egyptian news channel Al-Ghad reported, citing official sources, on Saturday night.

Al-Ghad‘s sources said that some of the names on Israel’s list include hostages that Hamas considers to be soldiers, whereas Hamas says it will only release the sick, the elderly, and children.

The sources added that the first phase of the deal would include the release of 250 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for Israeli hostages.

The two parties are also reportedly discussing the key sticking points, such as the Rafah crossing, the withdrawal of the IDF from the Netzarim axis, and the return of displaced Gazans to the north of the Strip.

However, it is worth noting that Israeli officials denied that any officials were in Egypt to discuss a deal, stating on Saturday, “There is no Israeli delegation on the way to Cairo, nor is one planned.”

View of the Philadelphi Corridor between the southern Gaza Strip and Egypt, on July 15, 2024. (credit: Oren Cohen/Flash90)

Hamas and Israel are also debating the terms of a gradual IDF withdrawal from the Philadelphi corridor.

Al-Ghad also said that an Israeli delegation had arrived in Cairo on Friday to discuss the deal and that the delegates had met with key Egyptian officials.

From the Egyptian side, the discussions allegedly focused on the management of the Rafah crossing and the Philadelphi and Netzarim axes.

The Al-Ghad correspondent added that “there are arrangements to hold an Egyptian-Qatari-American-Israeli meeting in Cairo to discuss the truce agreement in Gaza.”

Progress of the deal

Hamas said in a statement earlier on Saturday that “The possibility of reaching a deal is closer than ever if Israel stops imposing new conditions.”

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The statement comes following a Friday meeting between a Hamas delegation led by Khalil al-Hayya, head of the negotiating team for a hostage deal and ceasefire, and representatives of the Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).

Also on Saturday, a Palestinian official told the BBC that talks to reach a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas are 90% complete.

The remaining 10% allegedly includes the Philadelphi corridor and the possibility of a buffer zone between Israel and Gaza.