ReutersTalks to reach a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas are 90 percent complete, but key issues remain to be overcome, a senior Palestinian official involved in the talks told the BBC.
One of the main obstacles is Israel's continued military presence in the Philadelphia Corridor, a strategically important strip of land in southern Gaza along the border with Egypt.
The Palestinian official shared details of the discussions taking place in Doha, which include the potential creation of a buffer zone several kilometers wide along Israel's border with Gaza.
Israel will maintain a military presence in that area, the official said.
With these issues resolved, a three-phase ceasefire could be agreed within days, they added.
The deal will involve an exchange of 20 Palestinian prisoners for every female soldier released in the first of three phases of the ceasefire.
The names of the prisoners have not yet been agreed upon, but will be chosen from among about 400 names who are serving sentences of 25 years or more in Israel.
They are not believed to include senior Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti, whose release Israel is expected to veto.
The Israeli hostages will be released in stages, as Hamas is believed to still have to locate some of the missing hostages.
Of the 96 hostages still being held in Gaza, 62 are believed to be still alive by Israel.
Gaza civilians will be able to return to the north under an Egyptian/Qatari-supervised system, and there will be about 500 trucks a day delivering aid to the Strip, the official said.
In the final stage of the three-phase plan that will see the end of the 14-month war, Gaza will be controlled by a committee of technocrats from the enclave who will have no previous political connections but will have the support of all Palestinian factions.
In recent weeks, the US, Qatar and Egypt have renewed their mediation efforts and signaled greater willingness on both sides to strike a deal.
A round of talks in mid-October failed to produce a deal, with Hamas rejecting an offer for a short-term ceasefire.
Hamas and two other Palestinian armed groups said reaching a ceasefire agreement in Gaza “has become closer than ever” if Israel “stops imposing new conditions”.
In a statement on Telegram on Saturday, the group said it held a meeting in Cairo on Friday regarding ongoing negotiations with representatives of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).
The Palestinian Islamist militant group Hamas, which ruled Gaza, carried out an unprecedented cross-border attack in southern Israel on October 7, 2023. About 1,200 people were killed and another 251 were kidnapped.
More than 100 hostages have been released through negotiations or Israeli military rescue operations.