Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has licensed Israeli negotiators to proceed talks in Doha over the discharge of hostages, his workplace stated Thursday, following accusations from each Israel and Hamas of sluggish progress within the discussions.
Indirect negotiations, facilitated by Qatar, Egypt and the U.S., have been underway in Doha for weeks, providing renewed hope for a cease-fire and hostage launch settlement, although an settlement has remained elusive.
However, late final month, each side accused one another of making obstacles, additional delaying a possible deal.
“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has approved the professional-level delegation of the Mossad (spy agency), the IDF (military) and the ISA (internal security agency) to continue the negotiations in Doha,” a press release from his workplace stated.
A group from Hamas had additionally reached Cairo to organize for negotiations in Doha “in the coming days,” an official from the group instructed Agence France-Presse (AFP) on situation of anonymity, as he was not licensed to talk publicly on the problem.
In December, Hamas had stated that though negotiations had been persevering with “in a serious manner,” Israeli negotiators had put ahead “new conditions” that delayed reaching a deal.
Israel swiftly rebuffed the accusation, saying it was Hamas that was creating “new obstacles” to an settlement.
The newest developments got here after Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz threatened to step up strikes in Gaza if Hamas did not launch the hostages.
“If Hamas does not soon allow the release of the Israeli hostages from Gaza … and continues firing (rockets) at Israeli communities, it will face blows of an intensity not seen in Gaza for a long time,” Katz stated.
Stumbling blocks
Successive rounds of negotiations have all failed since a single, week-long truce in November 2023.
In Israel, critics of Netanyahu, together with relations of a few of the dozens of hostages nonetheless in captivity, have accused him of stalling.
During their incursion on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas seized 251 hostages, 96 of whom stay in Gaza.
A key level of competition within the negotiations has been Israel’s reluctance to conform to an enduring cease-fire.
Another unresolved subject has been Gaza’s post-war governance.
Israel has stated repeatedly that it’ll not enable Hamas to rule the territory ever once more.
Netanyahu has additionally stated he won’t agree to an entire withdrawal from Gaza.
The Oct. 7, 2023, incursion resulted in 1,208 deaths on the Israeli aspect.
Israel’s retaliatory rampage has killed no less than 45,581 individuals in Gaza, nearly all of them civilians, based on figures from the Hamas-run territory’s Health Ministry, which the U.N. considers dependable.
Source: www.dailysabah.com