While international circles are talking about an important breakthrough recorded in the ceasefire negotiations in the Gaza Strip and the exchange of prisoners between Hamas and Israel during the past hours, the movement’s response came.

Negotiations have made progress

A Hamas official confirmed on Monday that talks on major issues related to a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip had achieved progress.

The official, who requested to remain anonymous due to the sensitivity of the issue, added that the negotiations have achieved progress on key issues, pointing out that the parties are working to complete the rest soon, according to Reuters.

This came after the Hamas movement also announced today that it would soon achieve the freedom of its prisoners in Israeli prisons.

In a statement, she also called on the international community, the United Nations and its institutions to work to protect Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons, and to stop the horrific violations to which they are subjected, as she put it.

She added, stressing that the date of their freedom is near, in reference to what appears to be the nearness of the agreement with Israel.

On the other hand, Israeli Foreign Minister, Gideon Saar, confirmed that there is indeed progress in the prisoners’ agreement.

He added to his British counterpart, David Lammy, that Israel is interested in reaching the deal and is working to achieve it, and will soon know whether Hamas is interested in that as well.

He also stressed that “intensive” efforts are now underway to secure the release agreement.

This came while the two parties met recently, in Jerusalem, coinciding with the visit of British Foreign Secretary David Lammy.

The two sides discussed a number of regional issues, including Iran, Syria and Lebanon.

These developments came after an official familiar with the talks revealed, on Monday, that Qatar, which is acting as a mediator between the two sides, had handed them a “final” draft of the ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement, in order to approve it.

The official said that a breakthrough had been reached in Doha after midnight, according to what Reuters reported.

He also explained that this breakthrough came after talks between Israeli intelligence leaders, US President-elect Donald Trump’s envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, and the Qatari Prime Minister, Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani.

He also indicated that the Qatari Prime Minister met with Hamas, while Witkoff met with the Israeli delegation to push the two sides towards reaching an agreement.

Al-Arabiya/Al-Hadath sources revealed earlier today the details of that draft or agreement, which includes two stages, each of which lasts 42 days.

I also explained that one of the sticking points is Israel’s insistence on establishing a buffer zone north and east of the Gaza Strip with a depth of 2 km.

Calm in the Middle East

It is noteworthy that a high-level Israeli delegation that included the head of the Israeli Foreign Intelligence Service (Mossad), David Barnea, and the head of the Internal Security Service (Shin Bet), Ronen Bar, arrived in Qatar yesterday to complete the negotiations.

While Trump's aides explained during conversations with former senior Israeli officials that the American president is interested in calm in the Middle East, in order to focus on internal issues.

They also made clear that “Trump has no desire to deal with another war in his early days.”

It is worth noting that approximately 100 Israelis are still detained in the devastated Palestinian Strip, since October 7, 2023, but some Israeli estimates indicate that half of them have died.

While thousands of Palestinians remain in Israeli prisons, some of them have been sentenced to life imprisonment