Middle East Eye reports:

Egypt and Qatar, alongside Hamas, are using “all means available” to secure the release of Marwan Barghouti as part of the Gaza ceasefire agreement between the group and Israel, three sources informed on the negotiations have told Middle East Eye.

The long-imprisoned Palestinian political leader is on a list “of around one hundred senior Palestinian prisoners” being discussed ahead of the second phase of the truce deal, a source close to the negotiations said.

“Marwan alongside [a] few others are at the top of that list,” said the source, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss the details.

Hamas leaders told a second source that Barghouti’s release was “the primary goal” for the group in the deal and that they believed they had the leverage to pressure the Israelis to do so, but that it would not be decided until the second phase of negotiations when the release of Israeli soldiers is also on the table.

Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani and Major General Hassan Mahmoud Rashad, the director of Egypt’s General Intelligence Services, have personally interceded to push for his release, they said. [Continue reading…]