Osama Hamdan, the representative of Hamas in Lebanon, stated in an interview with CNN that no one knows the fate of the 120 Israeli prisoners still held by the movement in Gaza. The fate of these prisoners is a crucial element in any potential exchange deal with Israel, as Hamas demands guarantees for a permanent ceasefire and a complete Israeli withdrawal from the region. Hamdan noted that the latest offer for the deal "did not meet the movement's requests to end the war." He described the offer as "an Israeli plan that U.S. President Joe Biden was the first to publicly speak about last month."
Hamdan emphasized that Hamas "needs a clear position from Israel to accept a ceasefire and a complete withdrawal from Gaza, allowing Palestinians to determine their own fate." He added, "We are ready to discuss any fair prisoner exchange agreement."
As negotiations mediated by the United States, Egypt, and Qatar continue to push towards an agreement between Israel and Hamas to halt the fighting in Gaza, a source within Hamas told "Al-Arabiya.net/Al-Hadath.net" that the ball is now in the Israeli court after the United States received our response through our Qatari and Egyptian brothers regarding the proposed ceasefire, which they are currently studying.
A joint delegation from Hamas and Islamic Jihad submitted the factions' response to the mediators in Qatar during a meeting with Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, informing Cairo of the details. The Hamas source indicated that "the American proposal presented to us does not include a sustainable ceasefire, nor a complete Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, and there is no timeline connecting the three stages (the first stage is a 42-day truce with the exchange of a number of prisoners, followed by a permanent and sustainable halt to the war and complete withdrawal)."
The first stage includes a truce with the exchange of prisoners under 18 years old and over 50 years old, involving 33 Israeli prisoners, both living and deceased, for every ten Palestinian prisoners, according to the Hamas source.
A new report indicated that pessimism is permeating Israel following Hamas's response to the prisoner exchange proposal, describing the response as "one of the most rigid offers that could be presented," according to the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth. The newspaper reported that senior officials in Israel believe Hamas thinks Israel's position is difficult and that they can impose significant conditions.
