As soon as the Gaza war ended on Sept. 26, talks in the Strip began circulating about the countdown for a new prisoner exchange deal between Hamas and Israel, since the movement was still holding Israeli soldiers it had abducted during the last war on Gaza.

The latest news of such a deal was the announcement of Mohammad Atwan, member of the Legislative Council of Hamas, on Oct. 14, concerning positive signs of a coming deal with Israel in which the movement’s demands would be met, without disclosing additional details; still, he confirmed that an exchange deal is going to take place soon.

In an interview with Al-Monitor, a Palestinian official close to President Mahmoud Abbas, who wished to remain anonymous, said, “Hamas asked to carry out exchange negotiations with Israel, separately from the cease-fire negotiations, since it will choose another delegation other than the united Palestinian one, due to the sensitivity of the fate of the kidnapped Israeli soldiers. The Israelis did not tell the Egyptians about their stance concerning Hamas’ request; however, it is obvious that they want to carry on with this matter and close the page on the Gaza war, including the missing soldiers.”

He told Al-Monitor by phone from Ramallah, “Hamas and Israel want to sign a prisoners exchange deal soon, and there are signs from both parties; Hamas’ separate delegation and Israel’s new official [assigned] for the missing soldiers file indicate that we are on the verge of closing this page, since an exchange deal ensures the implementation of the cease-fire and the extension of the calm period in Gaza.”