Israel sends delegation for continuation of hostage negotiations
**The Israeli government has announced the continuation of indirect negotiations for a hostage agreement that have been ongoing for months. A delegation from the Shin Bet domestic security service and the Israeli army will soon travel to Cairo, according to the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem.
At the same time, the office confirmed that a negotiating team from Doha, Qatar, returned the previous night. Israeli delegates had met with senior representatives from the mediator countries Qatar, Egypt, and the USA on Wednesday. Qatar, in particular, maintains direct contact with the Islamist Hamas, which is believed to be holding approximately 120 Israeli hostages in the Gaza Strip according to Israeli estimates. Many of them may no longer be alive.
The slow-moving talks center around the exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons and ways to establish a lasting ceasefire in the Gaza War. The Hamas demands that Israel end the war quickly. Israel, on the other hand, wants to keep the option of military intervention in Gaza open even after the release of hostages.
According to media reports, Hamas has shown flexibility on some of its positions. Israeli negotiators were optimistic after the Wednesday round, quoting a government official to Channel 13, "We are close to an agreement on the principles of a deal." However, Hamas did not raise high expectations. The organization received no negotiation results from the mediators, according to a statement. Israel is "delaying" and "sabotaging" the ongoing negotiations.
The catalyst for the Gaza War was the unprecedented massacre with over 1,200 deaths, committed by terrorists from Hamas and other extremist groups in Israel on October 7, 2023. They had also kidnapped over 250 people as hostages and taken them to Gaza. After nearly nine months of war, Israel is under criticism from the Palestinian population and internationally due to the many casualties and extensive damage to infrastructure and building structures in the besieged coastal strip.**
According to the latest announcement from the Hamas-controlled health authority, 38,345 Palestinians have been killed and 88,295 injured. The numbers do not distinguish between civilians and combatants and cannot be independently verified.
- The indirect negotiations regarding hostages involve deliberate conversations between the Israeli delegation and mediator countries, hoping to find a resolution for the released hostages, while maintaining the option for future military intervention in Gaza.
- The delegation from Israel, comprising representatives from the Shin Bet and army, will soon engage in proposed indirect negotiations in Cairo, following the return of Qatari negotiators, whose pursuit of a hostage agreement has been ongoing for months.
- Despite the optimism from Israeli negotiators after recent indirect negotiations, Hamas has accused Israel of delaying and sabotaging the negotiations, alleging an indirect strategy to hinder the pursuit of a hostage agreement.
