Details of a Gaza ceasefire and prisoner swap deal between Israel and Hamas are “almost complete,” Israeli newspapers reported on Saturday.
The Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper cited Israeli political sources as saying that “90 percent of the details of the Israel-Hamas prisoner swap deal have been agreed.”
The sources said the main obstacle between the two sides is that Hamas wants “guarantees” that Israel will implement the second phase of the deal and link it to the first phase.
The newspaper added that Hamas is concerned that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could resume the war after the first phase of the deal is over.
It also said that in light of the progress in ceasefire talks, US President-elect Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff made an unannounced visit to Israel on Saturday and met with Netanyahu.
The report added that all sides are trying to reach an agreement before Trump takes office on January 20.
Mediation efforts led by the US, Egypt and Qatar to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza have so far failed due to Netanyahu’s refusal to stop the war.
The Israeli military has continued a war in Gaza that has killed more than 46,500 Palestinians, mostly women and children, since October 7, 2023, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire.
In November 2024, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former defense minister, Yoav Gallant, for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice over the war in the enclave, AA writes.
