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Israel confirmed late Tuesday night that a solution to the issue of the delay in the release of Palestinian prisoners is emerging, under which Hamas will hand over the coffins of four dead hostages to Egypt in the next 24 hours without a ceremony, and Egypt will hand over the coffins to the Red Cross to bring them to Israel. At the same time as the dead hostages are transferred, Israel will release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.
Earlier, Hamas announced that an agreement had been reached to resolve the crisis of the delay of the release of Palestinian prisoners and that they would be released at the same time as the dead hostages. The announcement came after Al Jazeera reported a solution "through the efforts of the mediators" for a one-off exchange.
The Hamas-affiliated Quds Network quoted sources as saying that "Egypt will oversee the exchange mechanism - so that Israel will be obligated to release the prisoners."
Meanwhile, the visit of Steve Witkoff, U.S. President Donald Trump's envoy to the Middle East, which was supposed to begin in the region on Wednesday, has been postponed by several days, and the Americans are clarifying that it was actually not scheduled at all. Witkoff had stated in interviews with the U.S. media on Tuesday that he would arrive in the region this week, probably on Wednesday, and many understood that to mean that he would arrive in Israel, but this is not certain to happen at all. Israel also noted that he had not officially announced a visit at any point, despite what he had said to the media.
The fact that Witkoff is not arriving in the region this week could reflect the crisis in the talks, but in the meantime, Witkoff remains in the U.S. and is holding discussions with Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer, who is serving as the head of the new negotiating team in place of Mossad head David Barnea, who was removed from the position.
A senior source familiar with the details said earlier that attempts were being made to extricate Israel from the hole it had created for itself with the delay in releasing the prisoners. Hamas had refused to return the dead hostages before the prisoners, and each side entrenched itself in its position for fear of losing its achievements.
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As the 50th day of the cease-fire approaches, Israel, according to the agreement, is supposed to complete the withdrawal from the Philadelphi Corridor, which further complicates matters
The purpose of Witkoff's arrival in the region is for discussions that are supposed to deal with the continuation of the hostage deal, and the transition to Phase II.
Hamas officially made it clear above all else that it will not agree to negotiate and talk until the Palestinian prisoners are released.
"Israel's refusal to release Palestinian prisoners constitutes a serious violation of the cease-fire agreement signed by both sides through the mediators. The movement remains committed to implementing the agreement to achieve a permanent cease-fire and a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. Without the release of Palestinian prisoners as stipulated in the agreement, progress on any other issue cannot be discussed," sources in the organization accused in a conversation with the Saudi channel Asharq.
On Sunday, Witkoff said that he would visit the region this week, probably on Wednesday, and that the Americans "expect Phase II to come to fruition." In an interview with CNN, he said "Netanyahu is motivated by the right reasons — Hamas cannot be part of any government in Gaza. Witkoff added: "We first need to extend Phase I. We hope to have enough time to start Phase II and finish it in order to release as many hostages as possible and advance the talks."