Hostages: could a deal be reached before Hanukkah?

A protester holds up a yellow ribbon in support of Israeli hostages held by the Hamas terrorist organization in the Gaza Strip | Photo: Ahmad Gharabli/AFP

An Israeli official, previously skeptical of the negotiations, confirmed this week that progress has been made in talks aimed at securing the release of Israeli hostages held by the Hamas terrorist organization in the Gaza Strip.

Additionally, a source close to the negotiations told Israel Hayom that talks to formulate a hostage release deal are expected to be completed by Hanukkah at the end of the month, with implementation spread over an extended period.

The main point of contention between Israel and Hamas remains the number of hostages to be released under the agreement. A source familiar with the details indicated that Israel is still awaiting responses from Hamas regarding both the framework of the agreement and the organization’s ability to secure the release of the hostages to which it committed under the framework. of the agreement.

Rally for the release of hostages held in Gaza, November 23, 2024, in Tel Aviv (Gideon Markowicz)

According to the source, Israel will evaluate its next steps once Hamas presents a list of hostages it can release. “The ball is in their court,” the source said.

Despite the differences between the parties, the message received from the mediators gave rise to more cautious optimism than in the past. In a similarly optimistic tone, Saudi news channel Al Arabiya quoted a senior Hamas official as saying there had been “unprecedented progress in negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza.”

As of December 16, 100 Israeli hostages remained in Gaza, 36 of whom were pronounced dead.

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