WASHINGTON — Qatar has received a “positive” response from Hamas on a proposed framework for a hostage deal with Israel, the Qatari prime minister announced Tuesday.

“We are optimistic and we have delivered the response to the Israeli party,” Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani told reporters in a press briefing alongside US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Doha Tuesday.

The Qatari prime minister did not outline the terms of the deal, which he and the intelligence chiefs of Israel, Egypt and the United States agreed to more than a week ago in Paris.

The first phase of the deal would see Hamas release the remaining civilian captives it's holding over a period of six weeks, said a regional source close to the talks, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the negotiations.

The next phases, if successfully implemented, would see the release of female soldiers, then male soldiers. Finally, Hamas would hand over the bodies of those who died in captivity, the source said.

During the initial six-week pause, Israel would release three Palestinian prisoners for every civilian hostage. The same ratio was used to free over 100 hostages during a short-lived truce in late November brokered by Qatar and Egypt, both of which have contact with Hamas’ exiled leaders and those inside the Gaza Strip.

The proposed hostages-for-pause deal also envisions an increase in much-needed humanitarian aid entering the Gaza Strip, including the opening of more field hospitals and alternative aid routes, the source said.

This is a breaking story and will be updated.

QOSHE - Hamas delivers 'positive' response on hostage deal, Qatari PM says - Elizabeth Hagedorn
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Hamas delivers 'positive' response on hostage deal, Qatari PM says

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06.02.2024

WASHINGTON — Qatar has received a “positive” response from Hamas on a proposed framework for a hostage deal with Israel, the Qatari prime minister announced Tuesday.

“We are optimistic and we have delivered the response to the Israeli party,” Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani told reporters in a press briefing alongside US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Doha Tuesday.........

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