The Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar reported this morning that Israel proposed a deal in which Israel would release hundreds of security prisoners in exchange for returning of bodies of two IDF soldiers and releasing Israeli civilians held by the group for five years now. The newspaper claimed that the offer was made to Hamas last week through an Egyptian delegation that visited the Gaza Strip. Jerusalem did not confirm the report, which contradicts reports by the Israeli press and earlier declarations by Israeli officials.
Channel 13 and Ynet reported Dec. 11 that Israel offered Hamas increased assistance with the coronavirus pandemic in exchange for the two IDF soldiers' bodies and the captive Israeli civilians. The reports cited Israeli officials as saying that Jerusalem has identified an opportunity for an exchange deal due to the coronavirus crisis in the Hamas-ruled Strip. Israel is reportedly prepared to assist with Gaza’s health crisis but refuses to release Palestinian prisoners who have committed violence against Israelis.
Senior Palestinian sources told the Kan radio station on Dec. 13 that Hamas has been compiling a list of security prisoners to demand be released from Israeli prisons in an exchange. The report claimed that the list is not yet finalized and was thus not submitted to the Egyptian mediators who visited Gaza last week. It also said that Hamas sees the gap between its demands and Israel's as currently too wide to bridge. Other reports insisted that Hamas did express to the Egyptians its demands, which include choosing the Palestinian prisoners to be released without preconditions by Israel.
The report come just days after the visit to Gaza by the Egyptian delegation, which has been mediating between Israel and Hamas for several months. The delegation apparently entered the Strip through the Beit Hanoun crossing, which is under Israeli control, and spent a few hours in the Strip. The talks reportedly focused on a possible reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas as well as a possible prisoner swap with Israel. The Israeli press reported a similar Egyptian visit last September.
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