Israeli media reported on Wednesday that Egyptian and Qatari mediators involved in an anticipated prisoner exchange deal between Hamas and Israel confirmed that the agreement would be signed before March 10th.
The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation stated that the mediators informed the United States of this development, emphasizing that the signing would take place before the start of Ramadan.
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, from the White House, affirmed that Israel, Egypt, Qatar, and the United States had reached an understanding regarding the “basic outlines” of a prisoner exchange deal to declare a temporary ceasefire.
Sullivan added on Sunday that the deal was still under negotiation, stressing the need for indirect discussions between Qatar, Egypt, and Hamas.
Moreover, he mentioned that Biden has not yet been briefed on Israel’s plan regarding the Rafah operation, indicating Washington’s view on the necessity of not proceeding with the Rafah operation without a civilian protection plan.
These developments follow the resumption of talks in Doha aimed at achieving a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, to be followed by another round in Cairo with the participation of American, Israeli, and Hamas officials, as reported by an Egyptian satellite channel on Sunday, citing informed sources.
The Cairo-based “Cairo News” channel quoted Egyptian sources stating that “negotiations for de-escalation in Gaza have resumed, with expert-level meetings held in Doha and subsequent talks planned in Cairo.”
Additionally, the sources continued, “The Doha and Cairo discussions involve specialists from Egypt, Qatar, the United States, Israel, in addition to a delegation from Hamas.”
Earlier this month, high-level talks took place in Cairo among American, Qatari, and Israeli delegations in an effort to halt the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, which did not yield significant results.
On Saturday, Israel’s War Council approved sending a delegation to Qatar soon to continue discussions that took place in Paris in recent days, aiming to reach a ceasefire agreement in Gaza that includes the release of prisoners.
An Israeli delegation, led by Mossad Chief David Barnea, traveled to Paris on Friday to follow up on a ceasefire initiative discussed in the French capital at the end of January with their American and Egyptian counterparts, along with the Prime Minister of Qatar.
Concern is growing in Rafah, where at least 1.4 million people are crowded, most displaced from fighting, while the specter of a large-scale ground operation looms, prepared by the Israeli army.
