Israel prepared to accept release of fewer than 40 hostages in new Egyptian-mediated deal

Egyptian delegation arrives in Israel on Friday to revive deadlocked negotiations with Hamas

Israel is prepared to discuss a hostage deal that would release less than 40 Israeli hostages, as part of a renewed mediation effort led by Egypt. The latest proposal comes after the last round of negotiations with Hamas broke down weeks ago.

According to several Israeli media reports, the Israeli Cabinet authorized a negotiation team to drop Israel’s original demand that Hamas free 40 Israeli hostages in the first phase of a deal.

An unnamed senior Israeli official later claimed the exact number was 33, which is based on Israel's estimate of the number of female, elderly and sick hostages who are still alive in Gaza.

In the previous round of negotiations, Hamas insisted it did not have 40 female, elderly and sick hostages who were still alive, which is one of the reasons the negotiations broke down.

Shin Bet Director Ronen Bar and the IDF’s hostage envoy, Nitzan Alon, reportedly proposed additional concessions from Israel to the War Cabinet in an effort to secure an agreement with Hamas.

Egypt will lead the new negotiations after Qatari officials announced they were reconsidering their role as mediators, due to the "exploitation and abuse of the Qatari role" by Israeli politicians.

An Egyptian delegation led by the head of the General Intelligence Service (GIS), Abbas Kamel, is set to arrive in Israel on Friday to begin the negotiation process, the Qatari newspaper Al-Arabi Al-Jadid reported.

The delegation is expected to meet with the head of Israel’s Mossad, David Barnea, and Israeli National Security Advisor Tzachi Hanegbi.

According to the report, the outline of the proposed deal includes a significant withdrawal of Israeli troops from the corridor dividing the Gaza Strip, and the return of the residents to the Strip’s northern section, with freedom of movement along the central north-south route.

In addition, the deal would reportedly include a ceasefire period for the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, as well as a period of truce without any further release of captives.

The goal of Egypt’s proposal is allegedly intended to prevent the imminent Israeli ground incursion into the southern city of Rafah, located on the border with Egypt, according to an Egyptian official.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected to arrive in Israel on Tuesday to discuss the hostage deal negotiations and the looming Israeli incursion into Rafah.