Significant progress in hostage talks following further Israeli flexibility, sources tell 'Post'
Israel has effectively conceded control over the Morag Corridor, based on the maps it presented to hostage negotiation mediators, two sources familiar with the details told The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday.
US President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, said that negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza were going well.
Earlier, a meeting was held between the Israeli delegation and the Qatari and Egyptian delegations, during which Israel presented new maps reflecting additional flexibility on its part.
A source involved in the negotiations told the Post: 'The focus now is no longer on the Morag Corridor; it's on the Israeli presence in the Rafah area. That's where the discussions are currently centered.' According to the source, the mediators are optimistic (not for the first time) and believe the new maps significantly advance the chances of reaching a deal soon.
A senior diplomatic official told reporters that a hostage deal – which would involve the release of 10 hostages, the return of the bodies of 18 others, along with a 60-day truce – is 'attainable.'
'We, as a government, are interested in a framework for a hostage release,' the official said. 'There are differing political opinions in Israel, but the government is committed to a hostage deal, and that's the line the prime minister is leading. I believe a deal is achievable. It's not simple. Negotiating with Hamas is neither easy nor quick, and I can't give a timeline, but it is within reach.'
According to the official, Hamas's agreement to the Witkoff framework demonstrates a shift in its position. 'This is the result of intense military pressure, strong American involvement, and Washington's desire to achieve a deal. Because of that interest – and the US-Qatar relationship – Qatar is now engaging at a different level.'
Internal disagreements within Israel's cabinets, possible concessions
The official also revealed internal disagreements within the Israeli cabinet over the concessions involved in the deal: 'There were cabinet members who said, 'Don't give up any territory we took during Operation Gideon's Chariots.' I told them: 'Then just say you don't want a deal.''
The official stressed that there is no commitment to ending the war, and that the ceasefire would be temporary, lasting 60 days, during which negotiations for a permanent ceasefire would take place.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
25 minutes ago
- New York Times
Smell of Death Lingers in Syrian City After Spasm of Violence
After five days of hunkering down at his home in the southern city of Sweida, 33-year-old Hossam emerged on Thursday and drove around to survey the damage. Wherever he went, the smell of death lingered. Everywhere he looked, he said, he saw burned-out cars littering the streets. Storefront windows were smashed, their shelves looted. Pools of blood stained the streets. 'The smell of corpses in Sweida is unbearable,' said Hossam, who asked to be identified by his first name for fear of retribution. 'The smell is everywhere.' Since Sunday, the southern province of Sweida in Syria has been consumed by violence that has killed more than 500 people, according to the Britain-based war-monitoring group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. What Hossam described was the aftermath of the worst sectarian violence to seize this corner of Syria since the height of the country's civil war. He said he had barricaded himself inside as clashes between government forces and militias of the Druse minority raged around him. Hossam, who is Druse, ventured outside after a truce calmed the fighting and drove around his city, surveying the damage. At Sweida's public hospital, he saw cars speed up to the emergency entrance every few minutes, carrying people injured in the clashes. Others came in search of relatives they had lost contact with, now feared dead, he said. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Fox News
an hour ago
- Fox News
Pope demands ceasefire after Gaza's Catholic church is hit in apparent Israeli strike
Pope Leo XIV expressed sadness and called for a ceasefire after Gaza's only Catholic church was hit in an apparent Israeli strike, leaving at least two dead and several injured. "His Holiness Pope Leo XIV was deeply saddened to learn of the loss of life and injury caused by the military attack on the Holy Family Catholic Church in Gaza, and he assures the parish priest, Father Gabriele Romanelli, and the whole parish community of his spiritual closeness," read a telegram sent by Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin on behalf of the pope. Parolin added that the pope "renews his call for an immediate ceasefire, and he expresses his profound hope for dialogue, reconciliation and enduring peace in the region." Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni also condemned the attack and slammed Israel. "Israeli raids on Gaza also hit the Church of the Holy Family. The attacks against the civilian population that Israel has been carrying out for months are unacceptable. No military action can justify such an attitude," Meloni said. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it was "aware of reports regarding damage" to the church and that the "circumstances of the incident are under review." "The IDF does not target religious institutions and takes many precautions to avoid harm to civilians or holy sites. We remain committed to safeguarding the freedom of religion for people of all faiths," IDF International Spokesperson Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani wrote in a post on X. Israeli Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Oren Marmorstein echoed a similar message, saying that the country "expresses deep sorrow" over the damage to the church and the loss of life. He added that "Israel never targets churches or religious sites and regrets any harm to a religious site and uninvolved civilians." The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said on Thursday that the community's parish priest, Father Gabriel Romanelli, "sustained light injuries" in the apparent strike. "The people in the Holy Family Compound are people who found in the Church a sanctuary—hoping that the horrors of war might at least spare their lives, after their homes, possessions, and dignity had already been stripped away. On behalf of the entire Church of the Holy Land, we extend our deepest condolences to the bereaved families, and from here, we offer our prayers for the swift and full recovery of the wounded," the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said in a statement. The Latin Patriarchate added that it "strongly condemns" the incident "and this targeting of innocent civilians and of a sacred place."
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Israeli strikes kill 27 in Gaza, three die in church late pope often spoke to
By Nidal al-Mughrabi and Crispian Balmer CAIRO/JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Israeli forces killed at least 27 people in attacks in the Gaza Strip on Thursday, including three people who died in a strike on a church that late Pope Francis used to speak to regularly, medics and church officials said. Eight men tasked with protecting aid trucks were reported among the dead in airstrikes that were carried out while mediators continued ceasefire talks in Doha. A U.S. official said this week the talks were going well but two officials from the Palestinian militant group Hamas told Reuters there had been no breakthrough as the Israeli military continued to pummel Gaza. Two women and one man died and several people were wounded in a strike by the Israeli army on Gaza's Holy Family Church, said the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, which oversees the small parish. "The Latin Patriarchate strongly condemns this tragedy and this targeting of innocent civilians and of a sacred place," a statement by the Patriarchate said, adding that the victims had turned to the church compound as a safe haven "after their homes, possessions, and dignity had already been stripped away". "This horrific war must come to a complete end," it said. Photos released by the church showed its roof had been hit close to the main cross, scorching the stone facade, and that windows had been broken. Father Gabriele Romanelli, an Argentine who used to regularly update the late Pope Francis about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, was lightly injured in the attack. TV footage showed him sitting receiving treatment at Al-Ahly Hospital in Gaza, with a bandage around his lower right leg. Pope Leo said in a statement that he was "deeply saddened" by the loss of life and renewed his appeal for an immediate ceasefire, while Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said attacks on civilians were unacceptable. The Israeli military said it was looking into the incident. Israel's foreign ministry said in a statement on X that the results of the investigation would be published. It also said the country did not target churches or religious sites and regretted harm to them or civilians. Israel has been trying to eradicate Hamas in Gaza in a military campaign that began after the group's deadly attack on Israel in October 2023 and has caused widespread hunger and privation in the tiny enclave. Palestinian medics said one airstrike on Thursday had killed a man, his wife and their five children in Jabalia in northern Gaza, and that another in the north had killed eight men who had been handed responsibility for protecting aid trucks. Three people were killed in an airstrike in central Gaza and four in Zeitoun in eastern Gaza, medics said. CEASEFIRE TALKS Arab mediators Qatar and Egypt, backed by the United States, have hosted more than 10 days of talks on a proposed U.S. 60-day truce. As part of the potential deal, 10 hostages held in Gaza would be returned along with the bodies of 18 others, spread out over 60 days. In exchange, Israel would release detained Palestinians. The exact number is not clear. A Hamas source with knowledge of the matter said Israel had presented new maps to the mediators, pledging to pull the army further back than had previously been offered. The source said this partially met Hamas' demands, but was still insufficient. Disputes also remain over aid delivery mechanisms into Gaza, and guarantees that any eventual truce would lead to ending the war, said the two other Hamas officials who spoke to Reuters. Israel has told the mediators it is willing to drop its demand to maintain a military presence along the so-called Morag Corridor in southern Gaza during a ceasefire and is prepared to show flexibility regarding the size of the security buffer it would retain near the Israeli border, Israeli media reported. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office did not immediately comment on the reports. On Wednesday, U.S. President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, said that negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza were going well. A Palestinian official close to the talks said such optimistic comments were "empty of substance." Israel's campaign in Gaza has killed more than 58,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities. Almost 1,650 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed as a result of the conflict, including 1,200 killed in the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack, according to Israeli tallies. (Additional reporting by Alvise Armellini in Rome, Editing by Timothy Heritage, William Maclean)
