Hostages in Gaza –
Netanyahu tells Biden of “progress”
As an Israeli delegation arrived in Doha, Netanyahu and Biden discussed “progress” in negotiations over the release of hostages in Gaza.
Published today at 8:18 p.m.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed “progress” in negotiations towards reaching a deal with US President Joe Biden. (Illustrative photo)
AFP
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed “progress” in negotiations with US President Joe Biden to reach an agreement on the release of hostages held in the Gaza Strip, according to a statement from his office.
“The Prime Minister discussed with the US President the progress in the negotiations for the release of our hostages and briefed him on the mandate he gave to the negotiating team in Doha, aimed at advancing the release of the hostages ”, said the press release.
In Washington, a senior American official announced a telephone conversation between the two leaders about the ongoing negotiations, without giving further details.
This exchange comes the day after Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced the sending of a delegation of senior officials to participate in the talks being held in Doha, Qatar.
The Prime Minister held a meeting in Jerusalem in the presence of US President-elect Donald Trump’s special envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, a representative of the outgoing US administration, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz and Israeli security officials.
Negotiations in Qatar
After the meeting, he instructed “the head of Mossad (foreign intelligence), the head of Shin Bet (domestic intelligence), reserve general Nitzan Alon and his foreign policy advisor Ophir Falk to travel to Doha in order to continue promote an agreement for the release of our hostages,” according to his office. This service confirmed on Sunday that the Israeli delegation had arrived in Doha.
Indirect negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas resumed last weekend in Qatar, but the Israeli side was not represented by senior officials.
As Donald Trump’s inauguration on January 20 approaches, Joe Biden reported Thursday “real progress” in the negotiations. For his part, Donald Trump recently promised “hell” to the region if the hostages were not released before his return to power.
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