The secret negotiation for a three-day ceasefire in exchange for the release of at least 10 Hamas hostages

Egypt and Qatar They are mediating so that Israel accept a temporary ceasefire in the Gaza Strip in exchange for the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas free at least 10 hostages, several of them from the United States.

According to information collected by the EFE agency from sources close to the secret negotiations, Egypt and Qatar would be mediating to achieve a ceasefire of between one and three days in exchange for the release of between ten and fifteen hostagesaround half of them Americans.

LOOK: How the future of Gaza marks the first clash between Israel and the United States so far in the war with Hamas

As part of those negotiations, This Thursday three of the main Hamas leaders abroad arrived in Egypt.

They met with the Egyptian authorities and on Friday they will do so with those of Qatar.

The Hamas political leader, Ismail Haniye, and the leaders Khaled Meshal and Jalil al Hayawere received by the head of Egyptian Intelligence, Abas Kamel“to address the current situation in the Gaza Strip,” he said Hamas in a statement that was reviewed by EFE.

According to what an Egyptian security source told EFE, Hamas delegation includes leaders based in Qatar and Türkiyewhich will be under strict surveillance 24 hours a day, and Their movements will be “secret” and not made known.

The sources consulted by EFE reported that there are disagreements about the deadline for the ceasefire, since Hamas demands a truce of at least a week, and Israel insists that this will be for a maximum of three days.

The truce would also include permission for Egypt to deliver more humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.specified EFE.

Since the start of the war on October 7, Hamas has been demanding the release of the thousands of Palestinian prisoners who are in Israeli jails in exchange for the release of the 240 hostages who were taken to Gaza from Israel.

In the context of the current conflict, the mediation of Qatar He has already achieved the release of four hostages who were in the hands of Hamas.

Egypt It has been a historical mediator of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and its intelligence services usually organize mediations between Palestinian movements or between Israelis and Palestinians.

United States involved in negotiations

The negotiations in Egypt are being carried out in coordination with USAspecified EFE.

On Thursday, US President Joe Biden confirmed that he has put pressure on Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahuto take a three-day pause in the fighting in Gaza and expressed frustration with some of the Israeli leader’s actions following the October 7 attack.

At Joint Base Andrews, ABC News asked Biden to confirm whether he asked Israel for a three-day pause to remove the hostages.

Biden He responded: “Yes. “I… I’ve asked for an even longer pause.”

The president also said that Netanyahu did not complete some of the tasks he had been asked to do, thus confirming several reports that speak of a growing divergence between the approach of the prime minister of Israel and Biden on the conflict, ABC News reported.

“It’s taking a little longer than I expected,” Biden added.

So far, the war has left 10,800 Palestinians dead in Gaza since the war broke out on October 7, after the Hamas attack on Israeli territory in which more than 1,400 people were killed.

Humanitarian breaks

The White House reported Thursday that Israel agreed to daily four-hour pauses in northern Gaza so that civilians can evacuate to the south, in addition to taking advantage of that time for the entry of humanitarian aid through the border of Egypt.

John Kirbyspokesman for the United States National Security Council, said that Israel will announce the schedule of breaks three hours in advance.

“The Israelis informed us that there will be no military operations in these areas while the pause lasts,” Kirby said.

“We have urged the Israelis to minimize the number of civilian casualties and to do everything possible to do so,” he declared. kirbywho added that the pauses will provide “a respite for a few hours” for civilians to get away from danger.

In the fighting of these days,

Israel claims that it destroyed “terrorist infrastructure in Gaza, including an extensive network of underground tunnels,” factories for the production of anti-tank missiles, and rocket launch sites.

For its part, Richard Hechtspokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), said on Thursday that the implementation of the four-hour pauses “is not a change” in his country’s strategy and that the IDF is already “doing it de facto.” He insisted that this is an expansion of what is already happening.

“There will be no ceasefire”, but “local tactical pauses” for humanitarian aid, limited in time and area, of four hours” daily, Hetch explained.

While the Israeli Defense Minister, Yoav Gallantalso commented on the topic of breaks and said: “We will not stop the fire as long as there are hostages in Gaza.”

Since Sunday, Israel organizes in Loop, for several hours a day, a safe “evacuation corridor” to allow the departure of civilians from the north to the south of the territory.

According to the Israeli army, more than 50,000 people followed this route to the south on Thursday, a figure almost identical to that of the previous day.