The possibility of a prisoner exchange deal with Hamas seemed to have become more tangible this week as the government's special negotiator for hostages and prisoners of war met Wednesday with the families of the four Israelis held by the terrorist group, to give them an update on the indirect negotiations on a prisoner swap.
Hamas is believed to be holding the remains of Staff Sgt. Oron Shaul and Lt. Hadar Goldin, killed in the 2014 Gaza conflict. It is also holding 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.
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Yaron Blum met with the families at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's request. Last week, the prime minister convened the ministerial committee heading the efforts to retrieve the Israeli captives and briefed lawmakers on the efforts to reach a prisoner exchange deal with Gaza's rulers.
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh recently told Arab media he was "optimistic" about the possibility of a prisoner exchange deal with Israel, and that his terrorist organization was "ready for indirect talks."
He detailed a long list of demands that Israel must meet ahead of talks, among them the release of elderly and ailing prisoners, women and minors, as well as terrorists who were freed in the 2011 Schalit deal and later rearrested over terrorist activities.
Any deal with Israel will see Hamas "exact the required price," he stressed.
Following Wednesday's meeting, the Goldin family issued a statement hinting that at a deal was coming together and urged the government to follow through, saying, "Missing this opportunity now would demonstrate national irresponsibility."
Officials privy to the committee's work said that reaching a deal with Hamas at this time could help promote calm on the highly volatile Israel-Gaza border for the foreseeable future, regardless of the efforts made to reach a long-term ceasefire with Hamas.
