Gaza Negotiations in Sharm El-Sheikh: "An Agreement Could Be Signed Within 36 Hours"

SadaNews - Intensive negotiations are ongoing between the delegations involved in the prisoner swap deal and the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, amid Israeli estimates that the agreement could be signed in the coming hours, with the release process expected to begin within 72 hours of signing.

Israeli estimates suggest that "if Hamas does not engage in last-minute maneuvers, the agreement will be signed tonight or tomorrow," according to the newspaper "Israel Hayom," and the prisoner release process is set to commence after 72 hours.

Israeli Channel 12 reported, citing a senior Israeli source, that there has been "significant progress" in the ongoing negotiations, adding that the participating delegations "feel cautiously optimistic." The channel quoted an informed source stating that the Qatari mediators "believe that an agreement can potentially be reached by next Friday."

The same source noted that the goal is to "announce the agreement during this week and begin the implementation of the prisoner release process at the start of next week," as mentioned by Israeli Channel 12 and the American site "Axios."

A White House official stated that "the talks are making good progress," indicating the possibility of "reaching an agreement within a few days," while the Turkish foreign minister said that "the negotiations are progressing, and a ceasefire may be announced on Wednesday." However, Israeli officials expressed "doubts about this timeline."

In this context, a senior Israeli official told Israeli media that the leaders of the national prisoner movement in the occupation’s prisons, Marwan Barghouti and Ahmad Saadat, "will not be released as part of the anticipated prisoner deal."

An Israeli official also indicated in statements made Wednesday evening that "the negotiations have reached a stage of discussing the most sensitive issues," clarifying that "the general direction is positive, and the delegations are close to reaching an agreement."

Israeli reports emphasized that there is "increasing optimism about the possibility of reaching an agreement," as the negotiations enter what has been described as the "critical phase," while the occupation prepares operationally and logistically to begin the release process within 72 hours of signing.

Meanwhile, the Israeli government has begun drafting a resolution proposal regarding the deal that will be presented for a vote in the coming hours; Channel 12 has estimated that the agreement could be signed within 24 to 36 hours.

The channel noted that Hamas conveyed information during the negotiations in Sharm El-Sheikh regarding 20 of the living prisoners as part of the ongoing understandings, adding that the movement would release all bodies of Israeli prisoners whose locations are known, and then the phase of releasing Palestinian prisoners will begin according to a timeline to be determined after the implementation of the first phase of the agreement.

According to the report, the Israeli withdrawal will occur based on the map presented by US President Donald Trump, with "slight modifications," allowing the occupation army to remain in about 57% of the area of the Gaza Strip.