Lhe indirect discussions between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas have resumed in Qatar. They particularly relate to the release of hostages held in Gaza for fifteen months, after the Hamas attack in Israel. An official of the terrorist group, interviewed by Reuters, assures that a list of 34 hostages presented by the IDF was approved by Hamas on Sunday. Their release is nevertheless conditional on Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and a permanent ceasefire. But according to him, “no step forward” has been taken by Israel.
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says, for its part, that it has not been aware of this list of prisoners “until now”. “The list of hostages that was published in the media was not provided by Israel to Hamas, but initially by Israel to the (negotiations) mediators in July 2024,” he said in a statement.
Hamas releases video of Israeli hostage
On Saturday, Hamas increased pressure on Israel by releasing a video of an Israeli hostage. “The video published today tore our hearts,” reacted the young woman’s family in a statement, calling on Benjamin Netanyahu to seize the opportunity to conclude a ceasefire agreement.
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Israeli negotiators were dispatched to Doha on Friday to resume talks under the leadership of Qatari and Egyptian mediators. The administration of US President Joe Biden, which is participating in the mediation, is urging Hamas to accept a deal. “We are eager to cross the finish line in the next two weeks, the time we have left,” Antony Blinken said at a press conference in South Korea on Monday, saying he was “confident”. These new efforts come just over two weeks before the inauguration, on January 20, of US President-elect Donald Trump, who has already put pressure on Hamas.
These efforts come against the backdrop of an intensification of Israeli military actions in the enclave. This weekend, Israeli airstrikes in Gaza killed 105 Palestinians, according to doctors. The Israeli army said it had killed dozens of Hamas militants.
