Israel and HAMAS are in talks on the release of nearly 100 civilians held by the radical Palestinian movement, The New York Times reports citing Israeli officials.
According to Report, the officials said that a little less than a half of 240 hostages are civilians and if the parties manage to strike a huge deal, they will be released. According to sources, in line with one of the discussed options, HAMAS will first release from 10 to 20 civilians. Then, if Israel fulfills all provisions, 100 more hostages will be released, an official said.
In exchange HAMAS requests a short pause in hostilities, supply of huge volumes of humanitarian aid, fuel for hospitals and release of women and children from Israeli prisons.
According to the edition, the talks are mediated by Qatar and attended by high-ranking US officials.