JERUSALEM: A high stage Israeli safety delegation arrived in Qatar on Sunday (Jan 12) for talks on a Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal, a spokesperson for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu mentioned, in a doable signal of so-far elusive agreements nearing.
Qatar and fellow mediators Egypt and the USA are making renewed efforts to succeed in a deal to halt the combating within the enclave and free the remaining 98 hostages held there earlier than President-elect Donald Trump takes workplace on Jan 20.
Netanyahu’s workplace mentioned on Saturday that the delegation consists of Mossad Head David Barnea, the top of the Shin Guess home safety service Ronen Bar and the army’s head of the hostage transient, Nitzan Alon.
Trump’s Center East envoy, Steve Witkoff, met on Saturday with Netanyahu, after having met on Friday with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.
Israeli and Palestinian officers have mentioned since Thursday that some progress has been made within the oblique talks between Israel and militant group Hamas however didn’t elaborate. The edges have been preserving a decent lid on the small print being labored out.
It’s unclear how they are going to bridge one of many greatest gaps that has persevered all through earlier rounds of talks: Hamas calls for an finish to the conflict whereas Israel says it will not finish the conflict so long as Hamas guidelines Gaza and poses a menace to Israelis.
Israel launched its assault in Gaza after Hamas fighters stormed throughout its borders in October 2023, killing 1200 folks and taking greater than 250 hostages, based on Israeli tallies.
Since then, greater than 46 000 folks have been killed in Gaza, based on Palestinian well being officers, with a lot of the enclave laid to waste and gripped by a humanitarian disaster, and most of its inhabitants displaced.
