Officials: Israel could trade some high-profile prisoners
In a major shift, Israeli negotiators have signaled that Israel could release a group of high-profile Palestinian prisoners serving lengthy jail terms in exchange for the freedom of some of the Israeli hostages who are still in the Gaza Strip, officials say.
The change in Israeli negotiating strategy, which has not been announced publicly, is significant because it could help persuade Hamas to release Israeli soldiers captured in October and agree to a deal that would temporarily pause the fighting in Gaza.
International efforts to reach a truce had stalled over Israel’s refusal to release Palestinians convicted of murder and to commit to a permanent cease-fire, two of the measures that Hamas is holding out for.
Now, Israeli negotiators have privately agreed to a U.S. proposal that would see five female Israeli soldiers released for 15 Palestinians convicted of major terrorism charges, according to two officials with knowledge of ongoing mediation efforts. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the discussions, which came during a meeting last week with officials from Egypt, Qatar and the United States in Paris.
The idea is seen as the basis for negotiations with Hamas, which has not responded to the proposal. The Israeli government had avoided such a concession because the release of Palestinians convicted of major acts of terrorism would attract domestic criticism.
Asked about the negotiators’ position, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declined to comment.
Other elements of a deal — including the length of a cease-fire and Hamas’ demand for a complete withdrawal of Israeli military forces from Gaza — are still under discussion.
Meanwhile, Israeli airstrikes Monday inside Lebanon on targets associated with the Hezbollah militia hit deeper than any in recent years, targeting an area close to the Syria border.
The Israeli military said its fighter jets had struck Hezbollah air defenses in the Bekaa Valley, about 60 miles from the Israel border. It said the strikes were in response to a surface-to-air missile attack that downed an Israeli drone over southern Lebanon.
Hezbollah responsibility attack.
At least two Hezbollah fighters were killed in the Israeli airstrikes and at least six people were wounded, according to Bachir Khodor, mayor of the nearby city of Baalbek.
Also Monday, Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh of the Palestinian Authority, the body that administers part of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, tendered the resignation of his Cabinet, according to the authority’s official news agency.
The decision follows diplomatic efforts involving the United States and Arab states, including Saudi Arabia, to persuade the authority to overhaul itself in a way that would enable it to take over the administration of the Gaza Strip after the war there ends.