Palestinian officials said that negotiations on a ceasefire and hostage release agreement in the Gaza Strip have been completed by 90%.
The Palestinian official involved in the negotiations revealed on Saturday (December 21) that some key issues are still under negotiation, including Israel’s retention of troops in the Philadelphia Corridor bordering Egypt in the Gaza Strip. He said that once these issues are resolved, a three-phase ceasefire agreement can be reached within a few days.
Hamas said that the organization held talks with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine in Cairo, the capital of Egypt on the 20th to discuss the latest progress in ceasefire negotiations and the establishment of a post-war management committee in the Gaza Strip.
The three parties issued a joint statement after the meeting saying that as long as Israel stops imposing new conditions, the possibility of reaching a ceasefire agreement is greater than ever before, and stressed that its primary goal is to end the war and the suffering of the Palestinian people.
The Times of Israel quoted Israeli officials as saying that the ceasefire negotiations in Gaza are making progress, although Hamas has not yet provided Israel with a list of surviving hostages. It is reported that Israel has demanded the release of 34 hostages, including 11 Israeli men, in the first phase of the agreement, while Hamas has demanded that Israel release 250 Palestinian prisoners.
