Israeli, US, and Qatari Leaders Meet to Discuss Hostage Release Deal
David Barnea, the director of the Israeli intelligence unit Mossad, is currently meeting with the CIA chief Bill Burns and Qatari Primer Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani in Warsaw to discuss a new deal that would see the release of several hostages being held captive in the Gaza Strip, Ynet News reports.
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Today’s meeting comes three days after Barnea and Al Thani met on Friday night in another European city in an attempt to relaunch hostage release talks between terror group Hamas and Israel, mediated by Qatari officials.
Families of Captives Push for Renewed Negotiation Talks
Families of captives held in Gaza have mounted pressure on the Israeli government recently following news that the Israel Defense Forces had accidentally killed three hostages last week. They have urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to renew talks with Hamas for the release of their loved ones.
It is believed that the Gaza-based terror group is still holding 130 individuals, of which some are dead. According to IDF’s report, the Palestinian terrorists have killed 20 hostages. The Israeli army conducting a military operation in the Strip has so far recovered eight bodies.
October 7th Raw Video Footage
Credit: HamasVideo.com
The Qatari Proposal
Meanwhile, news platform Axios reports that Qatari mediators reached out to the Israeli negotiating team last weekend to find out if Israel would approve a deal that would lead to the release of female hostages whom Hamas blocked from leaving the Strip after the collapse of the previous agreement.
Moreover, Axios has said the Qatari proposal included “humanitarian elements” like the release of the sick, injured, and elderly hostages. While Israel has expressed willingness to renew talks of hostage release, some government officials expect the negotiation process to be complicated. The IDF operation in Gaza is currently centered on finding Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, and the terror group is believed to demand a ceasefire in exchange for the hostages, thus leaving tiny room for an agreement to be reached.
Hamas officials have said publicly in recent days that the terror group will only renew negotiations with Israel if the IDF stops its ground offensive in the Gaza Strip.
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