Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed Al Thani held a meeting with the families of Israeli hostages held by Hamas, who traveled to Doha on Friday in an attempt to restart talks regarding the release of their loved ones from the Gaza Strip.
Thani mentioned that the discussions with Hamas had become more complicated due to the recent killing of the group’s deputy leader Saleh al-Arouri and other senior members in Beirut.
Following Arouri’s assassination, Hamas reportedly suspended negotiations via Qatar and Egypt. However, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had stated earlier that talks for the hostages’ release were still ongoing.
According to Axios, the Qatari PM informed the visiting families that “it is more difficult to talk to Hamas after what happened in Beirut.”
The families of the six Israeli hostages met with Qatari Minister of State Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al-Khulaifi, who leads the Qatari negotiations team, and later with the Qatari premier during their visit to Doha.
Qatar had previously played a role in brokering the release of 105 hostages during a weeklong truce in late November, but 132 hostages taken on October 7 by Hamas-led terrorists remain in the Palestinian enclave, with not all of them confirmed to be alive. Qatar and Egypt have been working to facilitate a new agreement that could lead to the release of several hostages in exchange for a cessation of hostilities.
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3 Responses
If any of the hostages were still alive, Hamas would be publicizing that fact online. When they claim to hold prisoners but don’t show them off (or let the Red Cross visit), it means they are holding bodies but are leaving open the chance they are alive to get a better ransom.
good.
Killing Hamas leaders is more important than “negotiating”. It’s wrong to negotiate with terrorists. Time was that Israel’s official policy was to refuse to do so at any cost. Now they’re made of weaker stuff, and we are paying the price.