Israel agrees to hostage deal with Hamas: Live updates

After the expected release of the women and children hostages held by Hamas begins, focus will flip to different teams being held within the Gaza Strip which can be anticipated to be harder to negotiate their launch, sources say. 

Women and youngsters have been the primary precedence to get launched and if that’s profitable, it’ll go away males, Israeli troopers and the stays of these killed — both our bodies taken into Gaza on October 7 or those that have been killed after.

It’s believed there are 236 hostages being held in Gaza. All 50 anticipated to be launched within the first part are Israeli girls and youngsters, a few of whom additionally produce other nationalities apart from Israeli. 

A supply acquainted with the negotiations stated US and Israeli officers considered aged males as being the subsequent class of folks that could possibly be best to get out of Gaza, adopted by overseas nationwide males.

Both feminine and male troopers have been thought of the toughest to negotiate out of Gaza, the supply added. In addition, the events would additionally want to work towards retrieving the our bodies of these killed that Hamas is believed to be holding. 

The negotiation for these classes hasn’t began in earnest but, the supply stated.

As a results of the complexity for the remaining hostages, one other supply acquainted with the discussions confirmed that the others haven’t been a part of the speedy conversations and subsequently are on one thing of a separate observe. 

Another complicating issue within the case of a lot of those that would stay, the individual added, is that they’re not in Hamas custody however with different teams and people.

Israeli troopers held hostage might give Hamas large leverage in negotiations. In 2011, Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit was exchanged for greater than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners after years of negotiations. 

Following obligatory Israeli army service for each women and men, most Israelis turn out to be reservists and in accordance to an individual acquainted with the talks, Hamas had initially needed to take into account the ladies hostages below 45 years outdated to be as troopers as nicely.

Israel refused, one other supply acquainted with the discussions stated each side ended up agreeing that solely these girls in uniform after they have been kidnapped shall be thought of troopers. 

Aside from Israelis, there are kidnapped nationals from different international locations, like Thailand and Nepal, whose international locations have been involved with Qatar since Qatari mediators have been a principal level of contact with Hamas, an individual acquainted with the discussions says. 

Israel’s army launched safety video from Gaza’s Al Shifa hospital that they claimed confirmed Hamas militants bringing one Thai and one Nepali hostage to the hospital, one in all them bleeding on a stretcher.