Israel’s military cabinet has decided to send a delegation to Qatar in the coming days for indirect negotiations with the Islamist group Hamas. truce in the Gaza Strip and new hostage exchange Palestinian prisoners.

Israeli officials “cautiously optimistic” The possibility of reaching a new hostage agreement was reported in Hebrew media after the heads of the intelligence services of Israel, the United States and Egypt, as well as Qatari officials, met yesterday in Paris to determine the terms of the new agreement.

The document must be now submitted to Hamas for considerationwho until yesterday evening stated that she did not know about the new conditions.

According to media reports, the new project provides a six-week truce and the release of about 40 hostages in exchange for the release of 200 to 300 Palestinian prisoners, which was approved by the Israeli government.

After Hamas rejected another draft agreement reached in Paris in early February, Israeli sources indicate that the dialogue was resumed because The Islamist group has abandoned some of its “unacceptable” demands on Israel. such as a complete cessation of hostilities and the withdrawal of troops from the sector.

However, the Hamas leadership claims that did not give in to these “fundamental” demands.

On the other hand, Israel remains determined to launch a ground offensive against Rafah, at the southern end of the sector. home to almost 1.5 million GazansMost have fled their homes, although this could be delayed if truce talks brokered by Qatar succeed this time.

“We are working to get another scheme for freeing our hostages, as well as complete the liquidation of Hamas battalions in Rafah. That is why I have sent a delegation to Paris and tonight we will discuss the next steps in the negotiations,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on his X account last night.

Netanyahu announced that he would reconvene his cabinet this week to “approve operational plans for Rafahincluding the evacuation of the civilian population.”

“Just a combination military pressure and firm negotiations “This will lead to the release of our hostages, the elimination of Hamas and the achievement of all the goals of the war,” he said.

The War Cabinet had already voted on Thursday evening on a document containing Israel’s plan for the day after the war in the Gaza Strip, which considers Israeli security controla kind of military occupation similar to the occupation of the West Bank, and complete elimination of UNRWA.

Since the war began, Israel and Hamas reach agreement on truce for just one week in late November, allowing the release of 105 hostages in exchange for 240 Palestinian prisoners.

Hamas released four hostages in October; three rescued by the army – two of them a few weeks ago during a successful operation in Rafah -; while the bodies of eleven hostages were discovered, three of whom were killed by Israeli forces by mistake.

They remain in the enclave On October 7, 130 people were kidnapped.about thirty of them are considered dead; four more have been in captivity for many years, two of them are dead.

For its part, Egypt, a key mediator in the conflict in the Gaza Strip, confirmed that the peace talks held in Paris between Israel and Hamas “had a positive result” and They are at an “advanced stage”As reported by the agency EFE this Sunday, Egyptian security sources.

“The negotiations reached a positive result and a meeting point during which relatively long truce – up to six weeks.” This was reported by sources who wished to remain anonymous.

They noted that during the first stage of the truce “There will be a complete ceasefire and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip. (…) then other stages (of negotiations) will follow until the release of all hostages held by Hamas is completed.”

They also emphasized that at the first stage of the truce “The talks will address issues such as the future of Gaza, a two-state solution (one Palestinian with Israel) and the resumption of peace negotiations between Israel and Palestine.”

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The sources attributed the “positive developments” to “concessions by Hamas representatives regarding many of their demands” and stated that these concessions “They brought the distance closer to reaching and declaring a truce.”

More than 29,600 Gazans were killed and more than 69,700 people have been injured in more than four months of war in the Gaza Strip, which began on October 7 after a brutal Hamas attack on Israeli soil that left about 1,200 people dead and 250 kidnapped.

(according to information from EFE)