Israel has approved the conditions set by Palestinian group Hamas for a prisoner swap deal and is now waiting for the group’s response, Israeli state media reported on Monday.
According to public broadcaster KAN, Israel is closer than ever before to striking a prisoner swap deal with Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip.
It added that “now the ball is in Hamas’ court,” and that if the Palestinian group responds positively, a prisoner deal will be “achievable.”
The report did not specify the details of the deal or the conditions set by Hamas, but said that “difficult hours” may lie ahead.
Early on Monday, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the US continues to work on the release of the Israeli captives in Gaza.
“We are close and hope that a deal can be reached, but there is still work to be done,” he said.
According to Israeli official estimates, some 240 people have been held in captivity in Gaza since Oct. 7, when Hamas launched a surprise attack on an Israeli military post near the border.
Hamas’ Al-Qassam Brigades, for its part, said in an earlier statement that it holds in its captivity some 200-250 people, including Israeli soldiers and civilians, but later announced that a number of them were killed during Israeli airstrikes across Gaza since Oct. 7.
