UPDATE - Israeli defense minister cites progress in prisoner swap with Palestinians

ADDS MORE DETAILS, BACKGROUND

By Ahmed Asmar

ANKARA (AA) - Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Thursday said Israel is closer "more than ever" to reaching a prisoner swap deal with Palestinians.

According to the Israeli Channel 12, Gallant told families of captives held in Gaza that the prisoner swap deal is "closer than ever."

The Israeli army public broadcaster KAN said earlier that the Israeli Cabinet will hold on Thursday evening a session to review Hamas's response to the Gaza cease-fire proposal that also includes a prisoner swap deal.

Meanwhile, CNN quoted an Israeli source familiar with the negotiations, stating that both parties "appear to be on the brink of a framework agreement for a cease-fire and hostage release deal."

The source added that Israeli officials believe Hamas’ latest response will enable the two parties to enter detailed negotiations to reach an agreement.

Mediators have delivered a response from Hamas to a proposal that would include the release of hostages held in Gaza and a cease-fire in the territory.

Israel is evaluating the remarks and will convey its reply to the mediators, said a statement released by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office on behalf of the Mossad spy agency on Wednesday.

The Hamas group also confirmed late Wednesday that its leader Ismail Haniyeh held talks with Qatari, Egyptian, and Turkish officials to review developments regarding a cease-fire in Gaza.

The group stressed that it has "engaged positively" with the cease-fire developments.

Egypt, Qatar, and the US have been trying for months to secure a truce and the release of 120 remaining hostages in Gaza, but to no avail.

Hamas says any deal must end the war and bring a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. Israel, however, argues it will accept only temporary pauses in the fighting and wants to end the governance capabilities of the resistance group.

US President Joe Biden announced a three-phased truce plan in May, which includes the gradual release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza and the pullback of Israeli forces. It also envisages the freeing of Palestinian prisoners and the reconstruction of Gaza.​​​​​​​

Israel, flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire, has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7, 2023 attack by the Palestinian group Hamas.

Nearly 38,000 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and over 87,000 others injured, according to local health authorities.

Over eight months into the Israeli war, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, whose latest ruling ordered it to immediately halt its military operation in the southern city of Rafah, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.