Palestinian sources involved in the negotiations between Israel and Hamas told Asharq Al-Awsat that there has been progress in the talks between mediators and Palestinian terrorist organizations aimed at resolving the current crisis.
The sources informed the Saudi newspaper that discussions could lead "within hours" to the release of two coffins containing dead hostages. In exchange, Israel would release the Palestinian terrorists who were supposed to be freed on Saturday as part of the seventh round of Israeli hostage releases.
The Palestinian sources explained that the number of terrorists released may increase beyond 602 if the two coffins are transferred today. According to the sources, mediators are pressuring Hamas to release the hostages in an effort to accelerate the release process of the Palestinian terrorists.
The Saudi newspaper also reported that if negotiations fail today, the transfer could still take place within the next two days. It further noted that if an agreement is reached, Hamas will carry out the handover without any "ceremonies."
Meanwhile, the Qatari newspaper Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reported that time is running out to start negotiations on the second stage of the deal, and complete them before the first stage ends. A senior Egyptian source suggested that an agreement is likely to be reached to extend the first phase by at least two weeks in order to finalize all details of the second phase.
The Egyptian source confirmed Hamas' claim that the terrorist organization is willing to release all hostages at once during the second phase. According to the source, the purpose of US envoy Steven Wietkoff's upcoming visit to Israel is to formulate an agreement that considers the demand for Hamas to be removed from power in Gaza, an effort aimed at encouraging Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to proceed with the second-phase deal.
An Israeli source familiar with the details stated that the reports circulating in Arab media regarding the release of dead hostages are not true.
