An Israeli delegation of “technical level” flew this Friday morning to Qatar to continue negotiations aimed at obtaining the release of hostages and a ceasefire in Gaza. The head of Mossad is not present in this delegation, according to official sources. Sources close to the negotiations indicate that “progress has been made in the talks, but there are still significant gaps between the parties” and that no major breakthrough can be reported at the moment.
The Hostages’ Families Forum reacted to this initiative: “We cannot miss this window of opportunity. The hostages held in the depths of the Hamas tunnels in Gaza do not have time to wait for negotiations to drag on. We demand that Netanyahu give the team a full mandate to secure an agreement guaranteeing the return of every last hostage – the living for rehabilitation and the dead for burial.”
Behind the scenes, mediators and the United States are working to reach an agreement before President-elect Donald Trump takes office on January 20. At the same time, Gal Hirsch, the head of missing persons and hostages, informed the families of the progress of the discussions: “The talk about the impasse is incorrect. The negotiations are taking place over time under a total blackout. Efforts are being made to reach a point that Hamas will accept, and many details have already been agreed. There is slow and steady progress – and also difficulties.
Defense Minister Israel Katz, during a meeting with the families of the hostages this week, also wanted to be reassuring: “Don’t worry about the background noise. There is progress in the negotiations and it is happening in calm.
