Shortly before "Israel" initiated its ground invasion of Gaza, negotiations were nearing a deal in which Hamas would release approximately 50 captives in exchange for a temporary pause, a report by The New York Times revealed. The update comes from sources familiar with the negotiations, including both Arab and Western officials, as per NYT.

However, when "Israel" commenced its ground invasion in Gaza on October 27, the negotiations suddenly came to a halt, as reported by these officials who preferred to remain anonymous due to the sensitivity of the discussions. The negotiations were later resumed after a few days and are currently ongoing, the report added.

"Israel" had postponed its ground invasion due to several factors, including political disputes that further polarized the Israeli government, the need to ensure the US full deployment in the region, and testing the waters at the Northern Front. "Israel" ultimately proceeded with the ground offensive, believing that the Palestinian Resistance would yield under military pressure.

To date, the negotiations have primarily centered on securing the release of "civilian hostages", as indicated by these sources. The Israeli soldiers detained in Gaza may, at a later stage, become the subject of a distinct set of negotiations, potentially involving exchange for hundreds of Palestinian women and children who are held in Israeli prisons without charges.

Prospects for captives deal remain uncertain: CNN

A deal to secure the release of a significant number of captives held by Hamas in Gaza currently seems out of reach, despite active negotiations involving the United States, "Israel", Qatar, and Hamas. According to a senior US official as quoted by CNN, "Israel" is unlikely to agree to a prolonged ceasefire without a substantial number of hostages being freed.

The multi-party discussions, with Qatar playing a central mediation role, have been ongoing for weeks and have generated several proposals, including the release of approximately 10 to 15 captives in exchange for a one- or two-day ceasefire, as stated by diplomatic sources with insights into the negotiations.
 
However, as of Wednesday, this particular proposal was not being considered, as per the US official.

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Negotiations have also revolved around the possibility of exchanging captives for Palestinian prisoners detained by "Israel", as previously reported by CNN. This comes as Hamas already released captives merely for humanitarian grounds for nothing in return, including two American citizens. Following their successful release, US President Joe Biden disclosed that "Israel" had consented to a brief ceasefire to facilitate their release.

Other captives released also for humanitarian grounds include Yocheved Lifshitz who told the media that al-Qassam fighters were very friendly with them, took care of them, and provided them with medicine.

The Biden administration has consistently urged "Israel" to implement additional "humanitarian pauses" to facilitate the release of more captives, but the entity continues to refuse any such attempts. Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has emphasized that "Israel" will not agree to a ceasefire unless there is progress on the issue of captives release.

This comes as the Israeli media constantly report that the families of the Israeli captives gather in "Tel Aviv" and various parts of "Israel" raising the slogan “Shame, shame” and demanding the release of the captives in the Gaza Strip and Netanyahu's resignation considering his mishandling of the file. 

In fact, al-Qassam military spokesperson Abu Obeida said on Tuesday that the group wanted to release 12 foreign captives last week, but its efforts were obstructed by the Israeli occupation.

Abu Obeida revealed that al-Qassam Brigades were prepared to release foreign captives, though the situation on the ground and the Israeli occupation were jeopardizing their lives and obstructing the release.

Part of the ongoing confrontations between Israeli police and Israeli captives' families.#FreePalestine pic.twitter.com/Rtb48kM2fF

— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) November 4, 2023

It is noteworthy that the military spokesperson for al-Qassam Brigades, Abu Obeida, estimated that the number of captives held by the Resistance ranged between 200 and 250 captives, or more, revealing that al-Qassam Brigades alone had 200 Israeli captives. In turn, the Secretary-General of the Islamic Jihad Movement, Ziyad al-Nakhalah, announced that the movement has 30 Israeli captives. At the same time, his deputy, Mohammad al-Hindi, confirmed that most of the captives were soldiers.

Read more: Families of Israeli captives fear, anger on the rise amid escalation