Reports: Israel looking for next hostage deal to include 30 to 40 women, elderly and sick abductees

Bouquet of Hope project brings yellow flowers to different locations to keep issue of Hamas hostages in the public conversation. (Courtesy: Daniel Tenenbaum)
Bouquet of Hope project brings yellow flowers to different locations to keep issue of Hamas hostages in the public conversation. (Courtesy: Daniel Tenenbaum)

In what appears to be a coordinated leak by government officials, all three major Hebrew TV networks are reporting Israel’s approach to the recently restarted negotiations for another hostage deal with Hamas.

According to the networks, Israel is seeking for the deal to include women and the elderly. It also wants those of all ages who are physically or mentally ill to be released in this package that it believes can amount to 30 to 40 hostages of the 128 still in Gaza.

Israel is prepared to negotiate the number of days it will agree to hold its fire as well as the number of and type of Palestinian prisoners it would release in exchange for the hostages, the reports say. It is also prepared to expand humanitarian zones as well as the amount of aid it would let into Gaza.

The deal would also include a concession on the military front, Channel 12 says, adding that the military censor barred the network from elaborating further.

“Israel is willing to go a long way to return the hostages. The deal, if it goes through, will be difficult and will demand heavy prices. It’s still a long way off and not sure it will succeed. In any case, the ball is currently in the mediators’ court,” a senior Israeli official tells Channel 12.

While Israeli officials continue to leak details about the hostage negotiations to Hebrew media, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly urged the public only to rely on formal government statements on the matter, rather than rumors.

For weeks before the previous deal in late November, Israeli media reports speculated that a deal was imminent when that ended up not being the case. Many of the details regarding the type of deal that was unfolding reported also proved to be wrong.

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