The countdown to prisoner exchange deal between Hamas and Israel has begun

US President-elect Trump said that “we are very close to completing the hostage deal, perhaps by the end of the week, and if that doesn’t happen, there will be major problems”.

“I understand they are getting close to a deal, maybe by the end of the week,” he told Fox News.

According to Israel Today newspaper, “The countdown has begun, the hours have begun to announce the deal”.

Three stages that end with the release of all the kidnapped in exchange for thousands of Palestinian prisoners, the return of the displaced, and the entry of aid.

The third stage is the reconstruction of Gaza and arrangements for the day after the war, and there is no talk about the Palestinian Authority”.

Senior Israeli officials told the Israel Today newspaper earlier that the deal was moving forward because Trump wanted to deliver an achievement before entering the White House.

A senior official added that there are more understandings with the Trump team about greater support for Israel, including war, in the future.

According to a BBC report, a senior Hamas official said the two sides agreed that Hamas would release three Israeli prisoners on the first day of the agreement, after which Israel would begin withdrawing its forces from populated areas.

After seven days, Hamas will release four more prisoners, and Israel will allow the displaced in the south to return to the north, but only on foot via the coastal road.

According to a BBC report, Israel also agreed to release 1,000 Palestinian prisoners, including about 190 who had served sentences of 15 years or more.

According to reports there are 1,650 Palestinian prisoners expected to be released, but the number may change depending on the number of Israeli prisoners scheduled to be released.

The prisoners to be released won’t be allowed to return to the West Bank, and the elite forces who took part in the October attack won’t be released either.