Israel is set to send a delegation to Doha, Qatar, on Friday to continue negotiations on a hostage deal with Hamas. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said in a statement Thursday evening that he approved dispatching "a professional delegation from the Mossad, Shin Bet and the IDF to continue the negotiations."
Earlier, Israel's envoy for hostages and missing citizens Gal Hirsch told the hostages’ families in a meeting that reports of an alleged "deadlock" in the talks were inaccurate and that negotiations were ongoing under strict confidentiality and extensive efforts.
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Khalil al-Hayya, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
(Photp: REUTERS / Mohammed Salem / Erin Schaff /Pool , AP / Carlos Osorio. Alex Kolomoisky)
Hirsch, who left the room during the conversation to take an urgent call regarding the negotiations, stressed that the current agreement being worked on aims to bring all the hostages home, despite Israel's refusal to meet Hamas' demand to end the war in Gaza.
Senior Israeli officials reported slow progress in the talks but clarified that "there's no breakthrough yet and gaps still remain." They noted that mediators are increasing pressure on both sides and are pushing for an Israeli delegation to attend talks in Doha or Cairo. However, Hamas continued to refuse to provide lists with the names of the living hostages.
Earlier on Thursday, Qatari newspaper Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reported that a Hamas delegation arrived in Cairo on Wednesday, met with senior Egyptian intelligence official Major General Ahmed Abdel Khalek and discussed the negotiations for the hostages' release and "the new conditions set by the Israeli government."
According to the report, these conditions allegedly include replacing the names of 12 elderly, ill civilian hostages with those of 12 soldiers. Israel consistently claimed that Arab media reports regarding the negotiations are distorted.
The Qatari newspaper further reported that the Hamas delegation's meeting with Egyptian officials included discussions on deferring contentious points to a later stage after the first phase of the agreement.
The proposal will reportedly be presented to the Israeli side in an attempt to reach a resolution before U.S. President-elect Donald Trump takes office on January 20.
Egyptian sources told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that Hamas is open to a "one-phase" agreement for all hostages on the condition that Israel withdraws from Gaza and ends the war within an agreed timeframe.
According to these sources, Egyptian mediators aim to implement the first phase of the agreement, believing that "the opening move" is the most challenging, after which remaining obstacles can be addressed and the war could conclude.
The outlet also noted that a Hamas delegation traveled to Doha on Thursday to discuss recent developments in the negotiations. Hamas politburo deputy head Moussa Abu Marzouk told the newspaper that "there’s a significant opportunity for the negotiations to succeed this time."
"The delegation's visit aims to overcome obstacles and conditions recently set by the Israeli side to continue its aggression in Gaza,” Hamas spokesperson Jihad Taha added. “Hamas approaches all matters positively and openly, prioritizing the needs of the Palestinian people and will spare no effort to halt the aggression in the Strip. We hope for an agreement but Israel refuses to compromise on its recently imposed conditions."
The remaining gaps in the negotiations mainly concern the number of hostages to be released. Hamas is willing to release a double-digit number of live hostages, while Israel is pushing to increase the figure.
The terror organization is receptive to closing the gap by returning hostages already declared dead in the first phase. Sources familiar with the details estimated that if a deal is reached, fallen Israeli soldiers and murdered civilians also will be returned early in the process.
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Territorial disagreements concerning the IDF's positioning along the Philadelphi and Netzarim corridors also were discussed. Hamas demanded a more significant Israeli withdrawal in the initial phase, while Israel is only willing to consider withdrawal in subsequent negotiation stages.
Further disagreements revolve around Hamas' hopes to end the war versus Netanyahu's conflicting statements.