Hamas and Israel reportedly reached an agreement on a prisoner exchange deal while Israel continued its airstrikes in the besieged Gaza Strip, as per sources cited by Al-Arabiya on Friday.
The sources confirmed the agreement between the two agreed on releasing Palestinian female prisoners and children held by Israel in exchange for 100 prisoners held by Hamas, it added.
Palestinian officials claimed a death toll of more than 10,000, with Israel facing increasing calls for restraint in its month-long conflict with Hamas, prompted by an October 7 attack. Qatar played a significant mediating role over several weeks, according to the report.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, however, rejected a ceasefire unless hostages held by Hamas were released, stating, “There will be no ceasefire without the release of our hostages. Everything else is useless.”
Around 50 people were reported killed in strikes on a Gaza City school, according to the director of Al-Shifa Hospital, where the casualties were taken.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia denounced the conduct of Israeli forces in Gaza, condemning the military aggression, targeting of civilians, and violations of international humanitarian law. The Crown Prince stressed the necessity of ending the war, preventing forced displacement, and creating conditions for stability and peace.
Hamas gunmen allegedly crossed the heavily militarized border from Gaza on October 7, killing over 1,400 people in southern Israel and taking around 240 hostages. In response, Israel launched an aerial and ground offensive, resulting in a reported death toll of over 11,000 people in the Gaza Strip, nearly half of them children. The conflict has disrupted progress toward a normalization deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia, as mentioned by Prince Mohammed in September.
