The conclusion of an agreement on the release of the hostages kidnapped by Hamas during the attack on Israel on October 7 is now based on “minor” practical issues, the Qatari prime minister declared this Sunday, without indicating a timetable.
“The challenges that remain in the negotiations are much smaller (…) They are more logistical, they are more practical,” declared Mohammed ben Abdelrahmane Al-Thani at a press conference in Doha, together with the head of diplomacy of the Union European, Josep Borrell.
Negotiations toward an agreement have seen “ups and downs in recent weeks,” he said.
“I think now I have more confidence that we are close enough to reach an agreement that allows these people (the hostages) to return home safely,” he added.
The Hamas attack on Israeli soil on October 7 killed 1,200 people, most of them civilians, according to Israeli authorities, who estimate that about 240 people were taken hostage by the Palestinian movement that day.
In retaliation, Israel vowed to “annihilate” Hamas, which seized power in Gaza in 2007. Since then, Israeli bombings in the Gaza Strip have killed 12,300 people, mostly civilians, according to the Palestinian movement’s government.
Qatar, which hosts a Hamas political office, participated in the mediation that led to the release of four hostages in October: an American woman and her daughter and two Israeli women.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly stated that there can be no ceasefire until all hostages are freed.
Source: TSF
