Israel on Monday denied a Qatari report that suggested a “serious” advance in indirect negotiations between Jerusalem and Hamas for a "temporary ceasefire" deal that would include the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian terrorists.
“These reports are not true,” the Hostage Affairs Directorate in the Prime Minister’s Office said in a message to the captives’ families.
“We continue to work tirelessly to bring the hostages home, while maintaining strict information security regarding the matter. We recommend relying exclusively on information from the official sources,” the message read.
Earlier on Monday, the London-based, Qatari-owned Al-Araby Al-Jadeed news outlet reported that negotiations between Israel and Hamas have reached an advanced stage, identifying the hostages and terrorists set to be swapped as part of a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip.
According to the report, Hamas handed the Egyptian mediator a preliminary list of the Israeli hostages to be included in a forthcoming exchange deal. The report suggested that those who need medical treatment and the elderly were listed first by Hamas, as well as four hostages holding American citizenship.
The terrorist organization also submitted to officials in the Egyptian General Intelligence Service a list of the names of Palestinian prisoners it wishes to see released from Israeli prisons, the report read.
A source informed of the ongoing talks told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that the negotiations are “unprecedentedly serious” and that Egypt, Qatar, Turkey and the United States are involved.
The agreement sets the terms for a transitional period in which Israel Defense Forces would gradually withdraw from parts of the Gaza Strip, which would later create the opportunity for a "permanent ceasefire."
Hamas envoy Khalil al-Hayya visited Cairo on Sunday to discuss the details, the report said. An Israeli delegation is set to arrive in the Egyptian capital later on Monday to discuss the proposed terms.
Ruby Chen, the father of American-Israeli IDF Sgt. Itay Chen, whose body is being held by Hamas in Gaza, told JNS ahead of boarding a flight to Washington on Monday, “I think that there’s a bit too much optimism. Everyone is speaking except for Hamas. I also don’t like the idea that lists of names are being exchanged in the first place. What we all want to know is how the last hostage comes out.
“An agreement on how to free the 100 hostages, whether it’s in 60 days or 90 days, must be reached, and that’s what the families are looking for. I have not heard anyone speak about the last hostage coming out,” he continued.
Itay Chen, from Netanya, was stationed at the Nahal Oz army base as part of a tank unit when he was captured along with three other soldiers on Oct. 7, 2023. The Israel Defense Forces declared him dead on March 12.
Chen stressed the importance of treating all hostages equally.
“There are seven [American] hostages and we should not make distinctions of physical status, it’s not in accordance with our Jewish values and it is not humanitarian. Even those who were killed need to come out,” he said.
During his trip to D.C., Chen will meet at the White House with Republican and Democratic leaders to push for a comprehensive deal to secure the freedom of every captive.
Tzvika Mor, whose 23-year-old son Eitan remains captive in Gaza, told JNS on Monday, “To this day, there is no definitive news regarding a deal. Our intelligence officer has said so. There is no deal at the moment, it will take time.
“Hamas wants Israel out of the Gaza Strip and Israel cannot allow Hamas to renew itself. Hamas is very weak and afraid of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, afraid of Israel and the fact that Syria broke down. Hamas is now isolated without Hezbollah and with Israel planning to confront Iran. I think that’s the reason they went to Egypt for negotiations,” said Mor, who co-founded the Tikva Forum, which represents hostage families who advocate for a complete military victory over Hamas.
“In my opinion, if we control the Gaza Strip and the humanitarian aid which Hamas is stealing, Hamas will break down,” he continued. “Overall, I am optimistic. I think that our situation is improving every day.”
The war in Gaza has been raging for 14 months, ever since Hamas launched the deadliest single-day attack against the Jewish state on Oct. 7, 2023, in which roughly 1,200 people were murdered and 250 others were taken into captivity in the Gaza Strip.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has urged the warring sides to reach a ceasefire agreement before his inauguration on Jan. 20.
On Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told representatives of hostages’ families groups that the fall of the Assad regime, weakened by Israel’s determined stand against Hezbollah and Hamas, could help advance a deal for the return of the hostages.
“The time is ripe for a deal to release the hostages,” Netanyahu said, adding that he was “ready for a ceasefire to promote the return of abductees.”
Netanyahu held separate meetings in Jerusalem, one with the Hostages and Missing Persons Families Forum and the other with the Tikva Forum for Families of Hostages.
The two groups differ on the best way to free the hostages, with the Tikva Forum opposing the former’s call for a deal at any price, arguing there are collective national interests to be considered.
Meanwhile, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, who is also foreign minister, expressed optimism over the weekend that a ceasefire and hostage exchange agreement in Gaza can be reached before Trump’s inauguration.
The Gulf state, which publicly suspended its involvement in negotiations on Nov. 9., confirmed that it had resumed its mediating role after sensing that a momentum for a deal “is coming back,” Sheikh Mohammed said.
“We hope to get things done as soon as possible. We hope that the willingness of the parties to engage in good faith continues,” he said.
(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){
(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),
m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)
})(window,document,'script','https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga');
ga('create', 'UA-37052883-1', 'auto');
ga('send', 'pageview');
var script = document.createElement('script'); script.src = 'https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=G-K6H02W22XT';
document.head.appendChild(script);
script.onload = function () {
window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || [];
function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments);}
gtag('js', new Date());
gtag('config', 'G-K6H02W22XT');
gtag('event', 'page_view', {
'Topics': 'donald-trump,mike-pompeo,nikki-haley',
'Categories': 'us-news',
'publication_date': '24/11/10',
'article_type': 'Article',
});
}