Israel may lower its threshold for the number of hostages it is willing to accept from Hamas in exchange for a temporary cease-fire in Gaza.
According to The Times of Israel, citing local Hebrew media reports, Israel is now potentially willing to accept the release of just 20 hostages in the first phase of a cease-fire, provided those freed are “humanitarian” cases, such as women, children, and the elderly. However, an unnamed senior Israeli official later cited in the report claims that the number being considered is actually 33, which Israeli intelligence believes is the total of humanitarian hostages still alive in Gaza. Hamas maintains the number is closer to 20.
Under the previous proposal rejected by Hamas, Israel had reportedly agreed to a six-week truce in the first phase of the deal, with subsequent phases seeing the release of additional hostages, including men and soldiers under 50, and finally the return of the bodies of deceased captives. It remains unclear if the duration of the truce would be shortened in exchange for Israel requesting fewer hostages upfront.
The report indicates that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has authorized Israel’s negotiating team, led by Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar and IDF hostage envoy Nitzan Alon, to discuss its stance with an Egyptian delegation set to arrive in Tel Aviv on Friday for further talks.
Meanwhile, families of the 133 remaining hostages and their supporters have been holding increasingly vocal protests, blocking roads and lighting torches outside the Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv on Thursday. They accuse Netanyahu of prolonging the war to avoid agreeing to terms that might be unpopular with his right-wing base.
