Hostage swap on the cards for Gaza ceasefire deal as talks progress

ABC / Reuters | Matthew Doran | 15 January 2025

Please God – Mark

Final negotiations are underway in Qatar to try to reach an agreement between Israel and Hamas for a ceasefire and hostage deal.
Israel wants 33 hostages released in the first phase of the deal, and could free up to 1,000 Palestinian prisoners in exchange.
Any deal will need to be agreed to by Israel’s security cabinet, with a vote potentially highlighting deep divisions within the Netanyahu government.

Israel wants 33 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza to be released in the first phase of a ceasefire and hostage deal, and is prepared to release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails in the process.

Final talks have been underway for a number of hours in Doha, with senior members of Israel’s security and intelligence establishment and Hamas’ organisation present.

Qatari officials have described the negotiations as being at the closest point to reaching a deal in months, while expressing caution about whether talks could collapse at the last moment.