Hamas may agree to a ‘partial’ hostage deal, classified PM’s document shows
Channel 12 reported on a classified document received by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, hours after Mossad’s Barnea trip to Qatar.
Hamas might have changed its position about the hostage negotiations and would be willing to agree on a “partial deal”, Channel 12 reported on Friday evening, citing a classified document received by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
According to the Israeli outlet, Netanyahu received on Thursday a document were it was stated that Hamas position was alligned with the offer made by US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff – which includes the release of 10 live hostages and 18 dead hostages in exchange for a 60-day ceasefire and the release of Palestinian prisoners-.
The report also noted that these possible negotiations might be faster than in previous instances, with two unnamed sources cited by Channel 12 explaining that Hamas’s answer could be ready as early as next week.
This document arrives on Netanyahu’s desk just hours after Mossad’s director, David Barnea, met Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani in Doha, Qatar, to advance on the issue of hostage deal negotiations.
According to statements made by Mossad representatives, the option of arriving at a “partial deal” that would not see the return of all the hostages was “completely discarded.”
Mossad director David Barnea seen over a wall of hostage posters in Tel Aviv (illustrative) (credit: FLASH90)
A long way to bring back the hostages
On Thursday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement outlining Israel’s principles for ending the war: dismantling Hamas’s military capabilities; returning all hostages, both living and deceased; demilitarizing the Gaza Strip; not only disarming Hamas but also ensuring that no weapons are manufactured in or smuggled into the territory; maintaining Israeli security control in Gaza, including the security perimeter; and establishing an alternative civilian administration that is neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority.
While mediators Qatar and Egypt are trying to formulate a framework that would include the release of all hostages and an end to the war, the possibility of negotiating a partial deal – involving the release of only 10 hostages – has not been ruled out.
An Egyptian source familiar with negotiations told Saudi channel Al Arabiya on Thursday that the proposal for ending the war and hostage exchange would be carried out in two stages.
Amichai Stein contributed to this report.
