As the Israeli war on Gaza continues into its 466th day, there are growing signs that a prisoner exchange deal, aimed at halting the conflict in stages, is nearing completion. The negotiations are being mediated by Egypt, Qatar, and the United States. A source familiar with the ongoing talks revealed that Hamas had agreed to the draft ceasefire agreement and informed the mediators of its approval. On Tuesday, a final round of discussions began in Doha to finalize the terms of a ceasefire and a potential prisoner exchange. According to an informed source, the meetings were focused on ironing out the remaining details of the deal, with the attendance of key figures such as the head of Israeli intelligence, Mossad Director David Barnea, US President Joe Biden's envoy Brett McGurk, President-elect Donald Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff, and Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani. Simultaneously, Egypt has invited Palestinian resistance factions to Cairo for talks early next week, as progress continues in the ceasefire negotiations. Multiple sources indicate that a deal could be reached by the end of this week. During a press conference, US President Joe Biden confirmed that the ceasefire proposal, which he had launched months ago, is now imminent. He stated that the agreement would result in the release of hostages, a cessation of hostilities, enhanced security for Israel, and increased humanitarian aid for Palestinians. The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation reported that Israel's Security Cabinet is expected to meet on Tuesday to ratify the ceasefire agreement and the prisoner exchange with Hamas. In parallel, the Ministry of Health in Gaza reported that the Israeli military had committed four massacres in the Strip over the past 24 hours, resulting in 61 deaths and 281 injuries. The ongoing Israeli aggression has led to a staggering death toll of 46,645 and over 110,000 wounded since 7 October 2023.
