A U.S.-brokered deal to release some Israeli hostages held by Hamas in exchange for a five-day pause in the fighting and an increase in humanitarian supplies, including fuel, is reportedly close.
The instructions that have been hammered out require all parties to freeze combat operations for five days while the first group of 50 hostages is released with additional smaller groups of hostages released every 24 hours.
The halt in fighting is supposed to allow an increase in humanitarian aid into Gaza from Egypt.
“We’ve made some progress recently and have been working hard to advance this, but it remains a volatile situation,” an administration official said Saturday on condition of anonymity.
If history is any guide, Hamas and Israel are making sure there’s no double-crossing by either party. Where there’s zero trust, every line in the agreement must be verified and tested to make sure there are no landmines.
That said, the complexity of trying to negotiate a deal in Doha, Qatar, and get agreement from Hamas leaders in Gaza (no doubt, underground) as well as military commanders in the field is a challenge. There are also issues that may be confused…
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