Chamber stop: Negotiations on Palestinian prisoners in Israel are dragging on

Negotiations on the release of Palestinians held in Israeli prisons have not yet begun, the Hamas office for prisoners affairs told Izvestia. However, this is one of the conditions for a future truce, which, according to media reports, may be concluded in the coming days. The number of such prisoners exceeds 10,000, not counting those from Gaza who are being held in military camps, the movement said. So far, the parties are discussing only the return of 10 Israeli hostages out of 20 suspected living prisoners, a diplomatic source told Izvestia. How the settlement of the conflict between Israel and Hamas is progressing is in the Izvestia article.

Israel and Hamas: the return of prisoners

After the resumption of negotiations between Israel and Hamas mediated by Egypt, Qatar and the United States in Doha on July 6, the parties began discussing the situation of Israeli hostages held in Gaza.

"The negotiations are currently focused on the return of 10 hostages out of an estimated 20 living prisoners," a diplomatic source in Israel told Izvestia.

At the same time, negotiations on the release of Palestinian hostages held by the Israeli side have not yet begun, Izvestia found out. And this is one of the conditions of Hamas for a future truce.

— The specific number of Palestinians being released has not been discussed, and negotiations on the number and categories of prisoners have not yet begun. Sick prisoners, the elderly, those who have been imprisoned for more than 30 years, as well as those sentenced to life and long terms are a priority for the movement," said Nahid al—Fahuri, a representative of the Hamas office for prisoners.

According to him, the total number of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons has reached 10.7 thousand.

"This number does not include the thousands of detainees from the Gaza Strip who are being held in military camps, and their whereabouts remain unknown amid ongoing enforced disappearances," Nahid al—Fahouri said.

Israel released the first batch of Palestinian prisoners at the end of January 2025. 90 people left the prisons in exchange for three hostages from Hamas captivity. The media and international organizations have repeatedly drawn attention to the cruel treatment of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons.

In particular, one of the UN reports claims that a large number of detainees since October 7, including doctors, journalists, human rights defenders, as well as children (more than a thousand of them were arrested, according to Nahid al-Fakhuri), are being held in inappropriate conditions and subjected to violence. The document describes waterboarding and dog baiting, among other things.

In March, the Turkish Anadolu agency described the harassment of Palestinian prisoners during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. They are forbidden to pray collectively in prisons, and copies of the Koran are seized. In addition, the pre-dawn meal takes place in the dark, and the food served in the evening is very meager, cold and often spoiled.

Nevertheless, despite the lack of agreements on the prisoners, an agreement between Israel and Hamas on a truce and the release of most of the hostages will be signed in the coming days, the Palestinian Maan news agency reported on July 21.

According to his sources, the movement will agree to a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip for a period of 60 days and the transfer of 10 hostages to the Israeli side. During the same period, Israel will have to release 150 Palestinians from prisons, as well as 1,100 Arabs arrested in Gaza after the start of the military operation. In addition, the volume of humanitarian aid for the residents of the exclave can be significantly increased.

It is worth noting that the actions of Hamas also do not contribute to a peaceful settlement. Israel has repeatedly accused the movement of delaying dialogue and disrupting hostage arrangements. However, the Palestinian movement has made similar statements towards the Jewish state.

Last time, on July 6, Israel accused Hamas of trying to amend the Qatari cease-fire proposal in the Gaza Strip, calling them unacceptable.

What is happening in Gaza right now

In parallel, the Israeli army continues to launch attacks on the Gaza Strip. On July 22, the IDF reported that it had destroyed mined buildings, anti-tank rocket launchers, and underground Hamas military installations in the past 24 hours. Individual armed radicals of the movement also came under attack. According to the press service, fighting also continues on the ground: the 36th division operates in the south of the exclave, the 98th continues ground operations in the areas of Al-Shujaiya and Al-Zeitoun in the largest city of the same name in Gaza, the 99th Division operates in the central part of the sector and in the area of the city of Beit Hanoun.

At the same time, at least 65 Palestinians were killed over the past day, at least 11 as a result of strikes on humanitarian aid distribution points. According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, over 900 people have died trying to access humanitarian aid since March, when its distribution began through a system of points run by Israel and the United States fund.

All this is a continuation of the large-scale ground operation "Gideon's Chariot", which the Israeli army launched on May 18. The IDF says its goal is the final defeat of Hamas and the release of all Israeli hostages held in the exclave.

— One of the scenarios (ending the conflict. — Izvestia) — transfer control of Gaza to local structures. This would give Gaza a chance for self—government without Hamas," a diplomatic source in the Israeli Foreign Ministry told Izvestia.

The concept of "local structures" in the case of Gaza is rather arbitrary, says orientalist Leonid Tsukanov, since neither Hamas nor Fatah had previously been considered by the Israeli government as an acceptable option for subsequent control.

— There is a possibility that this refers to the "Gaza Council", created by Israel this year to dilute the legitimacy of Hamas and create a "sustainable alternative" in the eyes of the world community. I would like to add that Israel's final position regarding the controlling forces will depend, among other things, on the Arab interlocutors. However, judging by the mood in the Israeli establishment, the monopoly on force (that is, on ensuring security and stability in the exclave) will remain with the Jewish state, the expert believes.

Meanwhile, London announced that it would consider imposing new sanctions against Israel if it did not agree to a cease-fire. British Foreign Minister David Lammy expressed hope that the truce would begin in August. According to him, 83% of Israelis are in favor of a cease-fire necessary for the release of hostages. Earlier, amid the expansion of the Israeli military operation in Gaza, the kingdom's authorities suspended negotiations with the government of the Jewish state on concluding a new free trade agreement.

The expansion of the Israeli offensive in Gaza was also condemned in Paris, which has recently become a close ally of London. "There is no longer any justification for the IDF's military operations in Gaza. This offensive will worsen the already catastrophic situation and lead to further forced displacement of the population, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barraud said on July 22. At the same time, Israel's main ally in the region, Washington, has so far quieted down with public statements, but the American media, citing White House officials, report that they are also concerned about the "destructiveness" and regional policy of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.