PM appoints coordinator on deal for soldiers’ bodies

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appointed Tuesday a new coordinator to oversee negotiations with Hamas over the return of the remains of two IDF soldiers, amid indications a deal may be in the works.

Lior Lotan, a retired IDF Colonel, will lead the efforts to retrieve the remains of IDF soldiers Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul.

Goldin and Shaul were killed in separate incidents during fighting in Gaza over the summer’s 50-day military campaign and were both declared dead based on evidence the army acquired, but their bodies were never recovered by Israel.

The return of Goldin and Shaul’s remains is expected to be near the top of Israel’s list of demands during ceasefire negotiations with Hamas in Cairo scheduled to begin later this month. It’s not clear what the contours of such a deal would be but it’s possible Hamas sees it as an opportunity to free prisoners held by Israel.

Lotan will replace David Meidan, who held the coordinator position for three years.

Meidan had played a key role in drawing up the Shalit prisoner exchange deal which ultimately led to the release of IDF soldier Gilad Shalit from Hamas captivity in 2011.

Lotan had previously headed the Prisoners and Missing Persons Military Intelligence Division and had taken part in the successful negotiations with Hezbollah aimed at retrieving the bodies of three IDF soldiers and the release of an Israeli citizen who had been abducted by the Lebanese terror group.

Last month, a senior Hamas official in Gaza claimed the group was nearing a deal with Israel. “[T]he actual field work has been done,” the official told the Israel Hayom daily.

“However, it’s hard to say that we are on the verge of signing a deal to release prisoners,” he added.

The official was responding to a Facebook post by Hamas spokesman Mushir al-Masri which asserted that “future negotiations may lead to a new deal for the release of as many prisoners as possible.”

Israel, on its part, has yet to confirm any breakthrough in negotiations. Lotan’s appointment, however, may signal that progress had been made in the talks with Hamas.