Negotiations in Qatar: Israel agreed to release about 700 prisoners in exchange for 40 hostages - Walla! News. A senior Israeli official noted that about 100 of the prisoners are serving life sentences.
According to him, Qatar gave a similar offer 3 weeks ago, but then Israel rejected it outright. Israel is also willing to be flexible regarding the return of Palestinian residents to the northern Gaza Strip, an issue that is one of the main points of contention in the negotiations. The flexibility on the part of Israel comes after mediation presented by the US.