Khaberni - A senior Israeli official reported on Saturday that the 72 hours allocated for the release of prisoners in Gaza would begin upon reaching an agreement, noting that this pathway was achieved thanks to Arab pressure on the Hamas movement, according to Israel's Channel "12".
The Israeli official clarified that "Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is working in full coordination with U.S. President Donald Trump, and there are no surprises."
The Israeli official added in his talk to the Israeli channel that estimates indicate that the prisoners in Gaza could be released within a few days.
The Israeli official stated, "Arab countries were tense about the possibility of Israel continuing its operations inside Gaza City, and they exerted significant pressure on Hamas, alongside the great pressure exerted by Trump, as efforts were made within a new framework that ensures negotiations prioritize the release of prisoners."
The official continued: "Hamas has declared at this stage that it is ready to release the prisoners as a separate issue, which means that we receive all living prisoners and bodies in exchange for a number of Palestinian prisoners agreed upon, along with a limited tactical withdrawal while Israeli army forces remain stationed deep in the sector."
Regarding coordination with the U.S. President, the Israeli official commented: "Netanyahu spoke with Trump before releasing his last statement, and he is working with him in full and precise coordination."
About the pace of negotiations, the official revealed that the delegations would meet in Egypt, on Sunday or Monday, to discuss technical details, such as the time duration for the prisoner release operation, and the required period to search for and collect bodies, clarifying that the 72-hour deadline will be counted from the moment an agreement is reached between the two parties.
Sources disclosed that the Israeli negotiation teams received instructions on Saturday morning to prepare for sending a delegation to Egypt led by Minister Ron Dermer, while the American envoy Steve Witkoff is already on his way to Cairo.
According to estimates, Israel is seeking to quickly reach an understanding with the threat of resuming fighting in Gaza if the deal fails.
In preparation, the Israeli security agencies began preparing lists of prisoners who might be released, while negotiation teams are working on withdrawal maps that are still a matter of dispute between the two sides.
At this stage, Israel strives to focus the discussion on the issue of releasing all prisoners first and to postpone contentious issues such as setting the withdrawal lines of the army from Gaza to a later stage.
In contrast, Hamas is likely to demand that the release of prisoners be linked to deeper issues related to the group's arms and the management of Gaza after the war.
