Prisoner swap deal could be signed very soon, says Israeli Defense Minister

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant Thursday stated that the Tel Aviv administration is now “closer than ever” to reaching a prisoner exchange deal with Palestinian groups in the Gaza Strip.

According to Israel’s Channel 12 news, Gallant met with the families of Israeli prisoners held in Gaza on July 3 evening.

Addressing the progress on the prisoner exchange, Gallant remarked: “We are closer than ever to a prisoner exchange deal.”

Gallant noted that just a month ago, he did not anticipate such progress, highlighting his efforts during recent engagements in the U.S. to exert pressure on Hamas for an agreement.

Channel 12 reported that Gallant’s press office declined to comment on the statements.

On July 3, the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office, speaking on behalf of Mossad, confirmed receiving a response from Hamas regarding the proposed prisoner exchange deal between Israel and Hamas.

“The mediators have conveyed Hamas’s response to the proposal for the release of prisoners to the negotiation team,” the statement read.

In a statement from Hamas, it was mentioned: “We have exchanged ideas with our mediators from Egypt and Qatar to halt the attacks on our Palestinian people.”

On May 6, Hamas informed Qatari and Egyptian officials of their approval of a cease-fire proposal, which Israel rejected, citing unmet conditions.

On May 31, U.S. President Joe Biden announced that Israel had put forward a new three-phase ceasefire plan.

While Biden acknowledged Israel’s proposal, Netanyahu stated that Israeli attacks on Gaza would continue until “the set objectives” were achieved.

On June 3, during his address to the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Netanyahu claimed that there were “differences” between Israel’s proposal and the one offered by Biden.