Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent his team of negotiators, led by Mossad chief David Barnea, to Doha on Saturday to continue indirect negotiations with the Palestinian Islamic terrorist group Hamas for an agreement on the release of hostages held captive in the Gaza Strip.
In addition to Barnea, the head of Shabak – the domestic intelligence agency – Ron Bar will also visit Qatar; the government’s liaison to the hostages’ families, Gen. Nitzan Alon, and Netanyahu’s top political adviser, Ofir Falk, the prime minister’s office reported.
“This afternoon, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a discussion to assess the situation of war hostages and missing persons with the Minister of Defense, heads of the military and security establishment, as well as representatives of the current American administration and the next time. » said the press release.
The news comes as rumors that a deal could be imminent are gaining strength, with even Hamas sources telling Arab media that the talks are “essentially over” and that all that remains is all that remains is to obtain the green light from the mediators.
Earlier, Netanyahu met with Steve Witkoff, Middle East envoy for US President-elect Donald Trump, who takes office on January 20, and insisted he wanted to end wars in which the United States United are involved. like that of Gaza, and threatened the terrorist group Hamas with transforming the Gaza Strip into “hell on earth” if it did not release the hostages before that date.
“We appeal to the delegation: this is a historic opportunity to obtain the release of all our loved ones,” said the Hostage Families Forum, which this week buried the last two captives whose bodies were saved by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). .
With them, 40 bodies of captives were rescued by Israeli troops, while 34 of the 96 hostages remaining inside the Gaza Strip were confirmed dead. In total, 117 abductees survived out of the 251 kidnapped by Hamas on October 7, but only 8 during IDF military operations.
“Leave no stone unturned and come back with an agreement that guarantees the return of all the hostages, down to the last one: the living for their rehabilitation and the deceased for a proper burial in their country of origin,” they said. added.
So far, only a one-week truce agreement has been reached, in November 2023, during which 105 hostages were exchanged for 240 Palestinians imprisoned for different crimes; while currently a ceasefire is being negotiated in stages, during which 34 kidnapped people would be released, also in exchange for a to-be-determined number of imprisoned Palestinian terrorists.
Agencies contributed to this Aurora article
