Israel agrees to resume negotiations with Hamas over the release of kidnapped hostages

Israel’s War Cabinet announced in a statement that it will resume negotiations with Hamas over the war return of the hostages who have been kidnapped in Gaza since October 7.

The decision will come after this Wednesday Egypt will threaten to withdraw as a mediator in the conflict between Israel and Hamas due to allegations of mismanagement during the last round of negotiations, which led to its failure, the newspaper said The times of Israel.

“Attempts to sow doubt and insult Egypt’s mediation efforts… will only further complicate the situation in Gaza and the entire region and push Egypt to completely withdraw from its mediation in the conflict,” it said Diaa spokesperson for the Egyptian government.

The government is thus opening the door for one new round of the negotiations, which had been paralyzed since May 10, when both Israel and Hamas withdrew their delegations from Cairo after failing to reach an agreement on the ceasefire proposal and the exchange of hostages for prisoners, presented by the Islamic organization and the mediators.

Hamas then accused Israel of taking the negotiations back to square one, while Israeli officials noted that the Islamists had changed key issues in the proposed deal after accepting it.

Of the 253 kidnapped on October 7, 124 prisoners remain in the enclave, of which Israel says 40 are dead, Hamas says more than 70; while there have been four other hostages for years, two of whom are dead.

Since the start of the war, Israel and Hamas only reached a one-week ceasefire in late November, which allowed the release of 105 hostages in exchange for 240 Palestinian prisoners.

In addition, four hostages were released by Hamas in October; three rescued by the army; while the bodies of seventeen hostages have been recovered, three of whom were accidentally killed by Israeli forces.