For months, the United States, Egypt, and Qatar have been trying to mediate to achieve a truce in Gaza. In mid-December, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz suggested that a ceasefire agreement had never been closer. However, according to the latest reports, Hamas has insisted on ending the conflict, a condition that Israel rejects. According to these press reports, Hamas believes it needs more time and a break in the conflict to establish the whereabouts of the hostages and their state of health. Some of these hundred hostages still alive are also believed to be in the hands of other extremist Islamist groups.
Israel rejects Hamas’ claims that it is unable to provide this list, reports the Times of Israel. The conflict has been ongoing since October 7, 2023 when militants from Hamas and other extremist groups entered Israel and killed 1,200 people and took around 250 others hostage.
