Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid commended Doha in a statement on Sunday evening following a meeting with an unnamed “senior Qatari official” and a delegation from the Gulf country’s embassy in Paris.
“Time is passing. Four hundred sixty-four days and they are still held captive in Gaza [by Hamas]. We appreciate the relentless efforts that Qatar is making, and we came to convey an unequivocal message: We want everyone home as soon as possible,” the Yesh Atid Party leader said in the statement.
“Every minute that passes is an eternity in the Hamas basements. Every day, their lives are at risk,” continued Lapid.
He added, “It is clear to me that Qatar understands [this], wants to reach an agreement as soon as possible, and is making every effort to make it happen.”
The opposition leader warned that politics should not get in the way of agreeing to a hostages-for-ceasefire-and-terrorists-release deal.
According to Lapid’s statement, Sunday’s meeting with the Qatari officials included representatives of captives’ families.
Indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas have been taking place for months via mediators Qatar, Egypt and the United States. Reports in recent weeks have claimed that a breakthrough was reached and a deal might be cemented before President Joe Biden leaves office on Jan. 20.
Qatar—which has hosted Hamas leaders and has provided the terrorist group with hundreds of millions of dollars—played a role in late 2023 in mediating the freedom of 105 hostages, including 24 foreigners, in return for a truce and the release of 150 terrorists jailed by Israel.
Doha has previously deflected accusations of playing a double game, saying the United States requested that it open the mediation channel.
Israel’s governing coalition is advancing a bill to prohibit terrorism-funding states from playing a role in diplomatic affairs between Israel and other countries or foreign entities, which would remove Qatar as a mediator.
