Egypt - Top Middle Eastern and US diplomats held a series of meetings on Saturday focusing on efforts to reach a ceasefire and hostage deal in Gaza while also discussing the challenges of the post-Assad era in Syria.
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi discussed the ceasefire efforts with visiting US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and US Middle East envoy Brett McGurk, his office said.
The statement came as Hezbollah-affiliated newspaper Al-Akhbar quoted an unnamed Egyptian official as saying that Israel has objected to some of the names of Palestinian security prisoners Hamas seeks to release in exchange for hostages kidnapped on October 7, 2023, including popular Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti.
Barghouti is serving five life sentences in an Israeli prison for his part in planning three terror attacks that killed five Israelis during the Second Intifada.
“Israel has a vision of alternative lists of Palestinian prisoners, including people who were recently arrested, which could delay the drafting of the agreement,” the Egyptian source was quoted as saying.
The source added that Israel has requested that some of the Palestinian security prisoners be sent abroad instead of the West Bank or Gaza, “which may be accepted by the mediators as a compromise to end this new obstacle.”