According to Israeli media, Hamas is generally ready to release 87 hostages. In return, she is demanding a pause in fighting and the release of imprisoned women and minors.
According to Qatar, an agreement on the release of hostages held by the Islamist Hamas in the Gaza Strip is within reach. The hurdles to such a deal are now only “very low,” said Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani in Doha. “To be honest, the sticking points now are more practical and logistical,” said Al Thani after a meeting with EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell. However, these points would not really touch the “core of the deal”.
Along with Egypt, Qatar in particular emerged as a mediator in the Gaza war thanks to its long relationship with Hamas, which is classified as a terrorist organization by the USA, the EU and Israel. Over the past few weeks, the proposed deal has experienced “ups and downs from time to time,” said Al Thani. However, there had been “good progress, especially in the last few days,” in the talks with Hamas and Israel, he said.
Media reports on details of the deal
Earlier, Israeli television published details of a possible agreement to release hostages in the Gaza Strip. Accordingly, the Islamist terrorist organization Hamas is said to have signaled its fundamental willingness to release 87 hostages, reported the broadcaster N12. These include 53 women, children and young people and 34 foreigners. In return, Israel must commit to a five-day pause in fighting in the Gaza Strip and to the release of female Palestinian prisoners, minors in Israeli prisons and so-called security prisoners. Hamas is also demanding that more fuel be imported into the coastal strip.
Contact with the Hamas boss only through intermediaries
The broadcaster reported at the same time that it was still unclear whether the deal would move forward. One problem is that there has recently been hardly any contact with the Hamas boss in the Gaza Strip, Jihia al-Sinwar. He has not yet provided a clear final answer through the mediators in Qatar, they said. Israel believes al-Sinwar has been in underground hideouts since the war began on October 7. He was most recently thought to be in his birthplace of Chan Yunis in the south of the coastal strip. According to the TV station, communication takes place via several intermediaries.
On October 7, terrorists from Hamas and other groups kidnapped around 240 hostages into the Gaza Strip in massacres and attacks in the Israeli border area. Four were later released and one was freed. In addition, the bodies of two Israeli women were recovered by Israeli soldiers in Gaza. How many of the others are still alive is unclear. Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari gave the number of 236 hostages on Saturday evening.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
