Israel in Gaza: Ceasefire, hostage exchange likely before 10 March

The Israel delegation led by the chief of Mossad, David Barnea, and the director of Shin Bet, Ronen Bar, is back in Jerusalem after marathon mediatory talks in Paris and Cairo with US, Qatar and Egyptian officials.

The Mossad chief, according to Israeli defence ministry sources, has briefed the Israeli war cabinet members informally and said that a ceasefire is almost sure to be agreed before the commencement of the month of Ramzan, on 10 March.

Israel has also informed mediators that if the deal does not work out, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will step up the Israel troops' ground offensive in the Rafah area of the Gaza Strip, which houses a huge population of women and children. Over 14,000 of Gaza’s 1.1 million children have already been killed by Israeli forces since 7 October 2023 — 1 per cent of the total child population of the region, which has a very youthful demographic.

According to Israel defence ministry sources, Hamas has almost acceded to all the stipulations put forward by Israel, including the release of all hostages, including the bodies of those who are dead.

The Israeli side, for its part, has agreed to the 'rehabilitation' of the Palestinians who were displaced from northern Gaza, according to information offered.

While the Israeli side was led by David Barnea and Ronen Bar, Qatar's prime minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, chief of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) William Burns and Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel also were involved in the negotiations.