Hamas sources say the talks are “essentially completed,” and all that remains is for the mediators to get Netanyahu’s green light.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent his negotiating team, led by Mossad head David Barnea, to Doha on Saturday to continue indirect negotiations with the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas on a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip to put.
In addition to Barnea, the head of the Shin Bet (the domestic intelligence service), Ron Bar, will also go to Qatar; This was reported by the Prime Minister’s Office, the government’s liaison to the hostages’ families, General Nitzan Alon, and Netanyahu’s top political adviser, Ofir Falk.
The news comes as rumors that the an agreement could be imminent are gaining momentumand even Hamas sources told Arab media that the talks are “essentially completed,” and all that remains is for the mediators to get Netanyahu’s green light.
Earlier, Netanyahu met with Steve Witkoff, envoy to the Middle East by the newly elected US president, Donald Trumpwho will come to power on January 20, has insisted that he wants an end to wars in which the United States is involved, such as the one in Gaza, and Hamas has threatened to turn the Strip into “hell on earth” do not release the hostages before that date.
Among them are 40 bodies of prisoners rescued by Israeli forces, while 34 of the 96 hostages still in the Strip are confirmed dead. A total of 117 kidnapped people emerged alive out of the 251 Hamas captured on October 7, but only 8 during army military operations.
Israel, in turn, has killed more than 45,000 people in the Strip, and so far only a one-week ceasefire has been reached in November 2023, with 105 hostages exchanged for 240 Palestinian prisoners; while a phased ceasefire is now being negotiated, the first phase of which would see the release of 34 kidnapped people, also in exchange for a number of prisoners to be determined.
Source: EITB
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
