Sullivan: Mediators from Egypt, Qatar, US, Israel agreed ‘basic contour’ of prisoner swap deal

CAIRO – 25 February 2024: Representatives from Egypt, Qatar, the United States, and Israel who met in Paris have agreed on the “basic contour” of a prisoner swap deal, said Jake Sullivan, the US National Security Advisor in a comment to CNN on Sunday.

He added that the negotiations have an understanding of the deal and temporary ceasefire, noting that he will not go into further details because the negotiations are still ongoing and there are still indirect negotiations with Hamas through Egyptian and Qatar mediation.

Negotiators from Egypt, Qatar, the United States, and Israel are set to convene for their fourth meeting in Doha in the coming days, aiming to achieve a prisoner swap deal and a ceasefire in Gaza, as reported by Al Qahera News, citing knowledgeable sources.

Following the meeting in Doha, the negotiators will proceed to hold discussions in Cairo, with expectations of Hamas delegation participation in both meetings.

An Israeli political official, speaking to Channel 13, mentioned "significant progress" in the ceasefire talks following the latest meeting among the negotiators from the four countries on Friday.

Israeli media reported that the Israeli cabinet has decided to send its negotiating delegation led by Mossad Director David Barnea to the Qatari capital to continue the talks.

The Israeli decision comes after reports that the war cabinet has received a newly proposed outline for a prisoner swap deal that emerged from talks in Paris.

'Crucial details left'

Sources indicate that while progress has been made in the talks, certain crucial details have yet to be agreed upon, such as the number and identities of Palestinian prisoners to be released from Israeli prisons in exchange for the captives, as reported by Israeli media.

It remains unclear how Israel would now respond to Hamas's previous demands, which include increasing humanitarian aid access to Gaza and Israel's withdrawal from the northern part of the region.

The Paris talks included the participation of Abbas Kamel, the Head of Egypt's General Intelligence Service (GIS); Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Qatar's Prime Minister; and William Burns, the CIA chief.

The Israeli delegation included Barnea as well as Ronen Bar, the head of Shin Bet.

The talks are taking place while the humanitarian situation in Gaza is collapsing in light of the Israeli strikes, the obstruction of aid delivery efforts, and with almost all health facilities becoming inoperable.

The ceasefire is gaining mounting importance as Israel is threatening to implement its Rafah offensive by Ramadan, brushing aside global condemnations.

Egypt has expressed concerns that a military operation in Rafah, a city whose population swelled from 200,000 before the war to around 1.5 million Gazans currently, will have catastrophic humanitarian consequences.