CAIRO, April 29. /TASS/. An agreement to release the Israeli hostages held by radical Palestinian groups has been reached in indirect talks on resolving the situation in Gaza, according to the Maan news agency, which is close to Hamas.
The media outlet reports that there is "an agreement in principle to release the Israeli hostages, including Edan Alexander who also holds a US passport, in May."
Consultations between Egyptian mediators and the representatives of Hamas and Israel "will continue in the coming days."
According to Maan, during the indirect dialogue between the conflicting parties, an agreement was reached on the organization of three "safe corridors" through which humanitarian aid will be delivered to the people of the blockaded sector. Each of the corridors will be under the control and supervision of the countries mediating the negotiations between Hamas and Israel.
On January 15, Israel and Hamas agreed to release the hostages held in Gaza and introduce a ceasefire in the enclave. The three-stage agreement entered into force on January 19, and its first phase ended on March 1. It was assumed that during the first phase, the parties would agree on the implementation of the second phase, but this did not happen. On March 18, the Israeli army resumed fighting in the Gaza Strip, launching massive strikes on the enclave. The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu explained this by Hamas's rejection of the proposals put forward by mediators and US special envoy Steven Witkoff, stating that the purpose of the operation in the strip is the release of all hostages. The radicals blamed Israel and the United States for the resumption of hostilities.
According to the latest Israeli data, Hamas and its allies continue to hold 59 hostages in the Gaza Strip, including Maxim Kharkin, a native of Donbass, whose close relatives have Russian citizenship.