Thousands of Israelis demonstrate every Saturday in Tel Aviv, very worried about the fate of the 97 hostages still held in Gaza on the 400th day of the war with Hamas, following Qatar’s suspension of its mediation between the two camps. The situation seems to be at an impasse despite…
On this 400th day of war between Israel and Palestinian Hamas, concern is growing among the Israeli population over the fate of the hostages still in the hands of the Islamist group in the Gaza Strip. This Saturday, like every week, thousands of people gathered in Tel Aviv to demand their release, in a context made even more uncertain by Qatar’s recent suspension of its mediation between the two camps.
“I am very, very worried,” confides Ruti Lior, one of the demonstrators. For this psychotherapist, Qatar’s decision is “another proof that it really lacks seriousness and that these agreements are sabotaged”. A feeling shared by Gal, 60, for whom the emirate “failed in the question of mediation, and not only them, but the others also failed”.
97 hostages still held, 34 declared dead
Launched by surprise on October 7, 2023 by Hamas, this war left 1,206 dead on the Israeli side according to an AFP count, the vast majority of them civilians. Of the 251 people kidnapped that day, 97 are still being held in Gaza. The Israeli army declared 34 dead.
Along with the United States and Egypt, Qatar has until now been a key player in diplomatic efforts aimed at securing a lasting ceasefire and the release of captives. In November 2023, mediation allowed a one-week truce, the only one since the start of the conflict, during which hostages were released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
The plight of hostage families
But after months of fruitless efforts, Doha announced that it was putting its mission on hold. A decision painfully experienced by those close to the detainees, like Nina Wenkert, mother of a hostage: “How many tears must still flow and how much blood must still be shed before someone does what they and take our children home? Four hundred days! Can anyone imagine this? “.
We are silent, but we have not given up. A mother never gives up. Never !
Nina Wenkert, mother of an Israeli hostage
Qatar ready to resume mediation under conditions
If Qatar has suspended its role as mediator, it has not slammed the door definitively. A spokesperson for Qatari diplomacy indicated that his country would resume its efforts “when the parties demonstrate willingness and seriousness” to put an end to hostilities.
A message that sounds like a call to Israel and Hamas to truly commit to the path of de-escalation and negotiation. But after 400 days of a deadly war, and while nearly a hundred hostages remain in the hands of their captors, the task promises to be arduous. The families of the captives can only hope for a start from the belligerents and the international community to put an end to their ordeal.
