Ceasefire efforts have continually stumbled on a fundamental disagreement over how to end the conflict. Hamas says it will accept an agreement and release the hostages only if Israel commits to ending the war. Israel says it will agree to stop fighting only once Hamas is destroyed.
read more
Protesters hold cutout portraits of hostages held captive in Gaza by Palestinian militants since the October 7 attacks, during a demonstration calling for action to secure their release, outside the Defence Ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv on January 4, 2025 amid the ongoing war in the Palestinian territory between Israel and Hamas. Image- AFP
Israeli airstrikes across Gaza on Saturday killed at least 26 people as negotiations with Hamas on a potential ceasefire and hostage release resumed in Qatar.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz confirmed on Saturday that indirect negotiations with Hamas have resumed in Qatar for the release of hostages seized in the October 2023 attacks.
The minister told relatives of one of the hostages, woman soldier Liri Albag, that “efforts are underway to free the hostages, notably the Israeli delegation which left yesterday (Friday) for negotiations in Qatar”, his office said.
Hamas announced on Friday that talks with Israel, mediated in Qatar, would focus on achieving a full cessation of hostilities and the withdrawal of Israeli forces. However, no updates have emerged since the discussions reportedly began.
Mediators Qatar, Egypt and the United States have been engaged in months of effort that have failed to end nearly 15 months of war.
A key obstacle to a deal has been Israel’s reluctance to agree to a lasting ceasefire.
US President Joe Biden has repeatedly called for a ceasefire agreement. Trump has said that if there is not a deal to release the hostages before his inauguration, “all hell is going to break out”.
Israel’s military has entered nearly every part of Gaza but is still fighting Hamas militants who are waging guerrilla warfare across the ruins of the tiny enclave.
Last month, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan visited Israel and other countries in the region, aiming to help forge a deal by the ye