Israel willing to allow Hamas remain in Gaza if it disarms - diplomatic official
Hamas claimed to have submitted a list of 34 hostages to be released in the early stages of the deal, a claim Israel has denied
An Arab diplomatic source familiar with the negotiations for a possible ceasefire and hostage release deal in the Gaza Strip said on Sunday that Israel has flexibility in allowing Hamas to continue governing the Palestinian enclave after the war, provided it disarms itself and there is a mechanism in place that prevents it from rearming in the future.
This comes as a proposed joint Fatah-Hamas committee to administer post-war Gaza appears increasingly unlikely, due to the Palestinian Authority's refusal to separate the status of the West Bank from Gaza under its sole rule.
Meanwhile, senior Hamas officials told the Qatari Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that the current negotiations are for a comprehensive agreement, not a partial one, in contrast to Israeli claims. The sources added that there is no talk of removing Hamas leaders from the Gaza Strip after the war.
The terror group also said that it had approved a list of 34 hostages to be released in the early stages of a potential deal, which Israel's Prime Minister's Office said was false.