Gaza ceasefire talks 90% complete - BBC
Gaza ceasefire would happen in 3 steps (photo: Getty Images)
Negotiations on a ceasefire agreement in Gaza and the release of hostages between Israel and Hamas are 90% complete. Key issues remain to be resolved, reports BBC.
According to a Palestinian official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, one of the main stumbling blocks is Israel's continued military presence in the Philadelphia Corridor, a strategically important strip of land in southern Gaza along the border with Egypt.
He said that the talks include the potential creation of a buffer zone several kilometers wide along Israel's border with Gaza. And according to him, Israel will maintain a military presence in the area.
After these issues are resolved, it will be possible to agree on a three-stage ceasefire within a few days.
The BBC source said that the deal would include the exchange of 20 Palestinian prisoners for every female soldier released in the first of the three phases of the ceasefire.
The names of the prisoners have not yet been agreed upon, but they will be chosen from among approximately 400 people serving prison sentences of 25 years or more in Israel. It is assumed that they do not include the senior leader of the FAHT, Marwan Barghouti, whose release is expected to be vetoed by Israel.
The Israeli hostages will be released in stages, as it is believed that Hamas has yet to find some of the missing hostages. According to Israel, 62 of the 96 hostages still held in Gaza are alive.
The official also said that civilians in Gaza will be able to return to the north through a system controlled by Egypt and Qatar, and approximately 500 trucks a day will be delivered to the Strip with humanitarian aid.
At the final stage of the three-stage plan, which was supposed to end the 14-month war, control over the Gaza Strip will be exercised by a committee of technocrats from the enclave who will not have previous political ties but will enjoy the support of all Palestinian factions.
In late November, US Senator Lindsey Graham of the Republican Party said that US President-elect Donald Trump wants to conclude a peace agreement on Gaza before his inauguration.
“I want people in Israel and in the region to know that Trump is focused on the hostages issue. He wants the killing to stop and the fighting to end,” he said.
