Gaps in Qatar's talks on prisoner exchange deal: Israeli official

By Said Amori

JERUSALEM (AA) - An Israeli official said Saturday that there are “gaps” in negotiations in Qatar on a prisoner exchange deal between Israel and Hamas.

He said the US has offered a compromise accepted by Tel Aviv but is awaiting a response from Hamas.

The Israeli broadcasting authority quoted the unidentified “senior” official who said the American proposal includes "Israel's commitment not to assassinate senior Hamas leaders if they are expelled from the Gaza Strip, in exchange for an agreement that includes disarming the strip and the release of all prisoners held in Gaza.”

The proposal added the withdrawal of Israeli army forces from the enclave.

The official said the proposal “is being promoted by the United States as part of the stage following the deal to release 40 hostages in Gaza in exchange for a six-week cease-fire.”

He said negotiations are continuing Saturday evening in Qatar.

On Friday, an Israeli delegation led by Mossad chief David Barnea left for the Qatari capital of Doha, to participate in indirect negotiations with the Palestinian resistance group for a prisoner exchange deal, mediated by the US, Qatar and Egypt.

Israel holds in its prisons at least 9,100 Palestinians, according to Palestinian official sources, while the number of Israeli hostages held in Gaza remains unclear due to Hamas' refusal to disclose the figure “without a hefty price.”​​​​​​​

While Israeli media speaks of between 240 and 253 Israeli hostages, including three who were released by Israel and 105 who were released by Hamas during an exchange in November, the Palestinian group speaks of the killing of 70 others from Israeli shelling.

Israel has launched a deadly military offensive on the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack, which Tel Aviv said killed less than 1,200 people.

More than 32,100 Palestinians have since been killed and over 72,400 injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

Israel has also imposed a crippling blockade on Gaza, leaving its population, particularly residents of northern Gaza, on the verge of starvation.

The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala