A source in the Hamas movement revealed advanced mediation led by Qatar to conduct an urgent exchange deal with Israel.

The source told Xinhua News Agency, requesting anonymity, that Doha is seeking, with American support, an agreement to release Israeli women captured by Hamas in exchange for Palestinian female prisoners in Israeli prisons.

He added that a Hamas leader informed Qatar that the movement does not object to making the deal, provided that it guarantees the release of all 36 Palestinian female prisoners from Israeli prisons.

No official statement has been issued in Qatar regarding this information yet.

Video clips circulating on the Internet showed armed Hamas members capturing Israeli women in Gaza, including elderly women.

Israeli sources reported earlier that more than 300 missing Israelis have been documented since the start of the current round of fighting between Hamas and Israel.

This prompted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today to appoint Reserve General Gal Hirsch responsible for the issue of prisoners and missing persons.

Hundreds of fighters from Hamas and other factions attacked Israeli towns adjacent to the Gaza Strip as part of a surprise attack launched by the Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, on Saturday on Israel, which it called the “Al-Aqsa Flood.” It included the launching of thousands of homemade rockets and drones, and the storming of dozens of gunmen into Israeli towns adjacent to Gaza.