Media has learned of a possible agreement between Hamas and Israel in December
The Palestinian movement Hamas and the Israeli authorities may reach an agreement on the release of hostages by the end of December. This was reported on December 17 by the Saudi TV channel Al Hadath, citing sources.
"The final agreement on Gaza is getting closer. The interlocutor said that the first stage of the ceasefire agreement with Hamas and prisoner exchange may begin by the end of December," the publication said.
It is also specified that, according to the interlocutors of the TV channel, in the next few days there will be a meeting of representatives of Israel and Egypt to resolve issues on the two remaining points of the agreement. In addition, after the release of the first group, the parties may declare a truce for a few days.
"A list of names of Israeli prisoners, including those with dual citizenship, has been finalized for release in the first phase of the agreement," the text clarified.
Earlier, on December 16, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with US President-elect Donald Trump about developments in Syria and the release of Israeli hostages. He added that the work to return hostages from the Gaza Strip is ongoing. Netanyahu recalled that a year ago he promised to change the Middle East, noting that Israel is keeping its promise.
On Dec. 11, the U.S. newspaper The Wall Street Journal, citing mediators, reported that the Palestinian Hamas movement had for the first time allowed a deal that would allow Israel to stay temporarily in the Gaza Strip after the cessation of hostilities. It was specified that White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan will travel to Israel, Egypt and Qatar this week to push for the deal.
The escalation of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah came after the events of Sept. 17 and 18, when thousands of people, including members of the movement, were injured when pagers and other communication devices were detonated in Lebanon. The country blamed Tel Aviv for what happened. Since then, Israel has continued to eliminate the leadership of the Shiite movement and strike Lebanese territory.
The situation in the Middle East escalated on the morning of October 7, 2023, when the Palestinian radical movement Hamas subjected the territory of Israel to a massive rocket attack from the Gaza Strip. On the same day, Israel began retaliatory strikes.
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