Mossad chief David Barnea was scheduled to arrive in Doha on Monday for continued negotiations regarding the release of the 100 hostages still being held by Hamas in Gaza, foreign sources involved in the talks told Israel’s Kan News public broadcaster on Sunday night.
U.S. Special Coordinator for the Middle East Brett McGurk and other top American officials were expected to join as well, according to Ynet.
The Israeli news outlet claimed that several points of contention remain, including how many living captives Hamas will release during the first phase of a possible hostage deal. To bring the total number of hostages freed in the initial phase to 24, Jerusalem is reportedly demanding that the terror group also release wounded males under the age of 50.
Hamas opposes the demand, demanding the release of more terrorists, including those with blood on their hands, from Israeli prisons in return.
The terror group is also rejecting Jerusalem’s request for a list of all living hostages. According to Hamas, it is unable to verify the hostages’ status unless Israel agrees to a truce of “at least a week,” the Ynet report said.
Israel is now reportedly considering a deal under which Hamas releases some hostages to demonstrate its commitment to an agreement, followed by a multi-day ceasefire to gather information on the remaining captives.
A Hamas source told Reuters on Sunday night that the terror group had approved a list of 34 captives presented by Jerusalem to be released in a possible deal. The anonymous source stressed that a deal remains contingent upon reaching an agreement on an Israel Defense Forces withdrawal and a permanent ceasefire, demands that Israel rejects.
The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office denied the Reuters report, stating in response that “contrary to what was claimed, Hamas has yet to provide a list of hostages.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu summoned senior ministers for an “urgent security discussion” on Sunday, according to media reports.
The discussion included Defense Minister Israel Katz, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and came amid reported progress in the ceasefire negotiations.
Ben-Gvir and Smotrich oppose the proposals being reported in recent weeks, and Netanyahu has emphasized that Israeli forces will return to fighting after any ceasefire deal until Jerusalem’s war goals are achieved.
According to Israeli estimates, there are 100 hostages still in Hamas captivity in Gaza, including 96 abducted during the terror group’s massacre on Oct. 7, 2023, in which 251 people were taken.
Of those, 155 have been returned or rescued, and Hamas is believed to be holding 36 bodies, 34 of them taken on Oct. 7 and the remaining two being IDF soldiers Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul, who were kidnapped in 2014.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed optimism on Monday about the likelihood of a ceasefire agreement, though it might not materialize until after President Joe Biden’s term ends on Jan. 20.
Speaking to reporters in Seoul, Blinken stated, “If we don’t finalize it within the next two weeks, I’m confident it will be completed eventually, hopefully sooner rather than later. When it does, it will be based on the plan President Biden proposed.”
President-elect Donald Trump on Dec. 31 reiterated his call for the Israelis in Gaza to be released before he takes office.
An interlocutor asked Trump about the captives, at his Mar-A-Lago resort in Florida, noting that Trump had warned “there will be hell to pay” unless they are freed by the time he is sworn in.
“We’ll see what happens,” Trump replied. “They better let the hostages come back soon.”