Israeli ministries have been instructed to prepare for the arrival of hostages from Gaza as part of a possible exchange deal with Hamas, Israeli media reported.
“If the deal is approved, the hostages are expected to arrive in Israel in the coming days,” Israeli public broadcaster KAN reported.
KAN also reported that Israeli military officials had met with Health Ministry officials “to prepare hospitals for the potential reception of the hostages.”
On Monday morning, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said significant progress had been made in indirect talks with Hamas on a prisoner exchange deal.
“There is progress. I said it looks much better now than before,” Sa’ar said at a joint press conference in Jerusalem with his Danish counterpart Lars Lokke Rasmussen.
“We will soon know if the other side wants the same,” he added, without giving a timeframe for reaching an agreement.
The Israeli news portal “Walla”, citing two unnamed Israeli officials and a foreign source, reported that Israel and mediators have reached an agreement on a draft agreement for the release of hostages held in Gaza and a ceasefire in the enclave, which has been presented to Hamas.
Israel currently holds more than 10,300 Palestinian prisoners, while an estimated 99 Israelis are being held in Gaza. Hamas has said that many of the Israeli hostages have been killed in indiscriminate Israeli airstrikes.
The prisoner exchange and ceasefire talks, brokered by Qatar, Egypt and the United States, have repeatedly broken down due to new conditions set by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The Israeli opposition and the families of the hostages accuse Netanyahu of obstructing efforts to reach a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement with Hamas.
Despite the efforts to reach a ceasefire, at least 40 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli airstrikes across the Gaza Strip in the past 24 hours.
The Israeli military continues its war in Gaza, which has killed nearly 46,600 Palestinians, mostly women and children, since October 7, 2023, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire.
The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants in November for Netanyahu and his former defense minister, Yoav Gallant, for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide charge before the International Court of Justice over the war in the enclave, AA writes.
