Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday authorized his country’s negotiators to continue discussions in Doha with a view to an agreement for the release of hostages held in the Gaza Strip, his office announced.
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This statement comes as the Islamist movement Hamas and Israel, at war in the Palestinian territory, recently accused each other of delaying the conclusion of such an agreement.
Mr. Netanyahu “authorized delegations from Mossad (the Israeli foreign intelligence service, editor’s note), Shin Bet (domestic intelligence services, editor’s note) and the army to continue negotiations in Doha,” his office indicated in a press release, in reference to the indirect talks carried out in recent weeks under the mediation of Qatar, Egypt and the United States, which have revived hopes of an agreement.
But late last month, both sides accused each other of creating new obstacles that they said would delay reaching a deal to free the hostages.
A Hamas delegation has also arrived in Cairo to prepare negotiations in Doha “in the coming days,” a movement official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
-During the unprecedented Hamas attack in Israel on October 7, 2023, which sparked the war in Gaza, 251 people were kidnapped and taken to the Palestinian territory. Ninety-six others remain held in Gaza, 34 of whom have been declared dead by the Israeli army.
In nearly 15 months of war, Israel and Hamas have concluded only one one-week truce in November 2023, which allowed the release of 105 hostages, in exchange for that of 240 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
One of the main bones of contention in the negotiations is the establishment of a lasting ceasefire.
Another stumbling block is the governance of Gaza after the war, which remains highly controversial, including within the divided Palestinian leadership.
Israel has repeatedly said it will not allow Hamas, which seized power in Gaza in 2007, to rule the small coastal territory again. Mr Netanyahu also said he would not accept a complete withdrawal of troops from Gaza.
According to an AFP count based on official figures, the Hamas attack led to the death of more than 1,200 people on the Israeli side, the majority civilians.
More than 45,500 Palestinians were killed in the Israeli military campaign of retaliation on the Gaza Strip, mainly civilians, according to data from the Hamas government’s Health Ministry for Gaza, deemed reliable by the UN.
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