Israeli defense officials warned Wednesday that Israel must act quickly to make the most of what they called a "window of opportunity" to strike a prisoner exchange deal with Hamas and retrieve two Israelis held captive in the Gaza Strip as well as the remains of two IDF soldiers.
The circumstances allow for a deal to come to fruition but both sides will be required to make "painful concession" to see it through, the officials said.
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Staff Sgt. Oron Shaul and Lt. Hadar Goldin were killed in Gaza in separate battles during Operation Protective Edge in the summer of 2014. Ethiopian Israeli Avera Mengistu and Bedouin Israeli Hisham al-Sayed, both suffering from mental health issues, crossed into Gaza willingly in 2014 and 2015 and were captured by the terrorist group ruling the coastal enclave.
Arab media has been reporting accelerated efforts to facilitate a deal between Israel and Hamas, with Egypt acting as mediator.
In a rare comment on the matter, the Prime Minister's Office issued a statement last week saying that "special negotiator for hostages and prisoners of war Yaron Blum and his team, along with the National Security Council and the defense establishment are ready to act on the matter and call for immediate dialogue [with Hamas] through mediators."
Hamas, for its part, has also signaled via statements to Arab media and messages sent behind the scenes that is it open to a prisoner exchange.
Following the 2011 deal that secured the retune of IDF soldier Gilad Schalit in exchange for the release of 1,027 terrorists, Israel changes its negotiation tactics, saying it will no longer pay such steep prices.
Hamas had never been willing to elasticize its position and continued to demand the release of thousands of security prisoners for each captive, but the coronavirus outbreak, which has exacerbated the already dire situation in Gaza had made its rulers open to a more reasonable deal.
According to Arab media, however, the group still insists that any future deal will include terrorists who were rearrested after the Schalit deal, as well as the release of elderly and ailing prisoners, and possibly female terrorists and minors.
Israeli officials said that the next few weeks are critical to reaching a deal and made it clear that the parties needed to act quickly to finalize the move.
"We are in the best position we have been in for the last six years," one official said. "An agreement is within reach, but if we don't act quickly, this opportunity will be lost."
Another official said that a prisoner exchange deal could also advance efforts to strike a long-term ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
Also on Wednesday, as news of accelerated efforts to reach a deal with Hamas were made public, 130 bereaved families sent a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urging him not to release Palestinian prisoners.
"We demand that no living terrorists, elderly, women and minor be released in a gesture or any deal, let alone terrorists with blood on their hands who murdered and wounded our relatives," the letter read.
"The terrorists are doomed, the State of Israel simply refrains from executing them," the letter continued. "We expect the government and the defense establishment to find other, smarter ways to pressure Hamas.
"It is inconceivable that time and again, Israel is willing to even consider released thousands of terrorists who are nothing but vicious animals and are already planning future terrorist attacks that will claim Israeli lives."
