Egypt to broker hostage deal for Israel
During the ceasefire, 105 hostages are released under the mediation of Qatar. Another 145 people are believed to be held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip. According to consistent media reports, Israel has now asked Egypt to negotiate a further agreement. However, Hamas has set preconditions.
According to a media report, Israel has asked Egypt to mediate a new hostage deal with Hamas. The Arabic-language newspaper "Al Arabi Al Jadid" reported that a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and Israel should also be part of such an agreement.
The Qatari newspaper reported, citing unspecified Egyptian sources, that the Egyptian and Israeli secret services were in contact over the weekend regarding the Gaza war. According to the report, Hamas has denied any new negotiations. The head of Hamas' political bureau in Gaza, Bassem Naem, reiterated to the newspaper that the group rejects any negotiations before a ceasefire comes into effect.
Egypt and Qatar are holding initial informal talks with Israel and Hamas to formulate a first draft of a possible agreement, the Israeli newspaper "Haaretz" also reported, citing Palestinian sources. At present, however, there are no concrete results. The US broadcaster CNN in turn reported that the head of Israel's foreign intelligence service, David Barnea, is not flying to Qatar as initially intended to try to restart talks on an exchange of hostages from Israel and Palestinian prisoners. Hamas is said to be very unresponsive. Israel has the impression that it is wasting time.
At the end of November, Israel and the Islamist Hamas agreed on a ceasefire mediated by Egypt and Qatar. This lasted a total of one week. During the ceasefire, 105 hostages abducted by Hamas and other groups in the Gaza Strip were also released. It ended shortly before the deadline - according to Israel, Hamas had violated the ceasefire and fired on Israeli territory.
Israeli ambassador in London: no two-state solution
Meanwhile, the Israeli ambassador to the UK, Tzipi Hotovely, has ruled out a two-state solution following the war in Gaza. In an interview with the British news channel Sky News, she said in response to repeated questions that a two-state solution was "absolutely out of the question" for the period after the Gaza war.
"It's time for the world to understand that the Oslo paradigm failed on October 7," said the ultra-right former politician, who has already held several cabinet posts in her home country. The Oslo peace process had failed because the Palestinians had never wanted their own state alongside Israel, but one that encompassed the territory of Israel, Hotovely continued.
The Israeli Minister for Social Equality, Amichai Chikli, from the ruling Likud party, did not even rule out the establishment of Israeli settlements in the Gaza Strip. The right-wing politician said this when asked about the future of the sealed-off coastal strip after the war in an interview with the Israeli news website ynet. In his own words, he was referring to "certain parts where it makes sense". He also said that the Palestinian Authority should not be involved in the administration of Gaza after the war. "This is a fictitious authority. We did not pay with the blood of our best sons to give them control," Chikli said.
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Following the Israeli-Hamas ceasefire, Israel has turned to Egypt to negotiate a new hostage release agreement, as reported by "Al Arabi Al Jadid". Moreover, media sources suggest that a future hostage deal could be contingent upon a broader ceasefire between Hamas and Israel.
Source: www.ntv.de
