US drafts new proposal for hostage swap deal between Israel, Hamas: Israeli public broadcaster

By Said Amori

JERUSALEM (AA) - Israeli and US officials said Saturday that Washington is "not optimistic" about reaching a hostage swap deal with Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip, but will soon present a new proposal.

Washington is drafting a new proposal, which will be presented to Tel Aviv and mediators, although the US is not optimistic about finalizing a deal soon, state-run broadcasting authority KAN reported, citing unnamed Israeli and US officials.

The officials said the US has labeled the plan that is being drafted as a “last chance proposal.”

They indicated that it “might be presented tomorrow (Sunday) or in the next few days.”

According to what the officials told KAN, the "US settlement proposal includes all the contentious points, foremost among them the Philadelphia Corridor between the Gaza Strip and Egypt."

In the same context, a Palestinian source told KAN, which did not name the source, that negotiations “are currently focused on the number of senior Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails who will be released as part of the potential deal, rather than the total number of prisoners to be released.”

The source mentioned that Hamas has not changed the number of prisoners it demands to be released in the deal and is sticking to old conditions.

Israel estimates that more than 100 hostages are still being held by the Palestinian group Hamas in Gaza, some of whom are believed to have already been killed.

For months, the US, Qatar and Egypt have been trying to reach an agreement between Israel and Hamas to ensure a prisoner exchange and a cease-fire and allow humanitarian aid to enter Gaza. But mediation efforts have been stalled due to Netanyahu’s refusal to meet Hamas’ demands to stop the war.

Israel’s onslaught against Gaza has killed more than 40,900 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured nearly 94,700, according to local health authorities.

An ongoing blockade of the enclave has led to severe shortages of food, clean water and medicine, leaving much of the region in ruins.

Israel faces accusations of genocide for its actions in Gaza at the International Court of Justice.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala