Israel agreed to the American compromise proposal presented to the parties during the talks in Doha for a hostage deal with Hamas, a senior Israeli source said on Sunday.
Israel even agreed to double the figures in some categories to which it had already positively responded in the original "Paris Framework," under which Israel agreed to release 400 prisoners while Hamas demanded 800-900.
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Hamas leader in Gaza Yahya Sinwar and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
(Photo: EPA, Eli Mandelbaum, Sharon Tzur)
Israel is considering the American proposal and is willing to release 700 prisoners in exchange for the freedom of 40 hostages held by Hamas.
Under the Paris Framework, Israel agreed to release 25 prisoners convicted of murdering Jews and is considering an American proposal to release 100 (while Hamas demanded the release of 150). However, Israel insists on retaining the right to veto which of such prisoners will be released. This is a highly sensitive issue that could derail the talks, as Hamas insists on the release of symbolic figures.
Israel is now awaiting Hamas' response, but there is pessimism in Jerusalem as, despite concessions, the numbers Israel is prepared to agree to do not meet the terror group's demands.
The senior Israeli official pegged the chances for a deal at "fifty-fifty." "There is no crisis in the talks in Qatar. We are waiting for Hamas' response, which has not yet arrived and will take two to three days to receive. If there is a crisis, we will only know upon receiving Hamas' response. If Hamas says it is not ready to take the American compromise proposal and demands more, then there will be a crisis, but that is not yet the situation," the official said.
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Hamas politburo chief Ismail Haniyeh, Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed Al Thani and Mossad Director David Barnea
(Photo: AP, Yariv Katz)
The heads of the Israeli delegation to Doha - Mossad Director David Barnea, Shin Bet head Ronen Bar and the IDF’s point person Major General (res.) Nitzan Alon - returned to Israel over the weekend. They will immediately return to Qatar if Hamas responds positively to the American proposal, allowing negotiations to proceed.
Red line: no complete return to northern Gaza
Israel would also be willing to consider another American compromise proposal, allowing a gradual return of residents to northern Gaza at a rate of several thousand a day.
However, Israel has set a red line that there will not be a complete return of residents to the northern part of the Strip, particularly focusing on men of fighting age. From Israel's perspective, a complete return would be a concession on one of the war's achievements.
Israel also strongly opposes Hamas' demand for a complete withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and an end to the war. The Israeli official said, "Even on the issue of northern Gaza, Israel has shown flexibility and is willing to do a lot to bring the hostages home, but there are also limits for Israel regarding the various parameters. Therefore, Israel is waiting for Hamas' response to know if there is a proposal that we can work with. If Hamas provides answers that are not in line with reality, the negotiations may head in a negative direction and become stuck."