Despite the initial enthusiasm and optimistic declarations of Hamas on the second day of negotiations in Doha to reach an agreement between Israel and the movement on the truce in Gaza and the release of the hostages, there is still no way out. According to the Times of Israel, differences remain between Israel and Hamas on almost all issues under negotiation; and Israel has also stated that it is considering the reduction of aid to Gaza after Trump’s inauguration to put further pressure on the terrorist group.
An Israeli mid-level hostage negotiation team held talks yesterday with Qatari mediators, who were also hosting Hamas representatives in Doha for parallel discussions, in a bid to overcome lingering differences. The talks had stalled for about a week and a half after the prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu had recalled the Israeli negotiating team from Qatar for internal deliberations on December 25. Since then, optimism about the possibility of a deal before US President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration on January 20 has faded, the Times of Israel writes.
A senior Israeli official told Axios that Israel and Hamas remain at a stalemate on nearly every topic under negotiation, including the presence of the Israel Defense Forces in the Netzarim and Philadelphia corridors, Israel’s request to deport some Palestinian security prisoners released in the deal, the frequency with which hostages will be released, and the start date of negotiations on the second phase of the deal.
The official said that negotiations were progressing very slowly and that the chances of an agreement would perhaps be clear no sooner than a week. “The negotiating team went to Doha to finalize the agreement,” the source insisted. “All the remaining gaps can be filled. We want to do it and reach an agreement, and we believe the other side wants to do it too,” he said.
According to another official who spoke to the newspaper, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “wants a deal, and right now everyone is mainly waiting for the response from Hamas.” Overall, writes Axios, there is “cautious optimism” that an agreement could be reached in the coming weeks, particularly due to the growing pressure on Hamas from mediators from Qatar and Egyptalong with threats from Trump, who warned that there will be “all hell to pay” if the hostages are not released by the day of his inauguration.
One of the main critical points it is Hamas’s refusal to hand over a list of hostages that it would have released in the first phase of the agreement. This phase should see the release of women, men over the age of 50 and men under the age of 50 with serious medical conditions.
According to Axios, Israel has given Hamas a list of 34 hostages that it wants to release in the first phase. An Israeli official told the broadcaster that while Israel assumes some of the hostages on the list are not alive, “the goal is for as many people still alive on that list as possible to be released.”
Hamas claims that a third of the hostages on the Israeli list are men under the age of 50, whom it considers soldiers, and therefore demands in exchange the release of more security prisoners, including prisoners who have murdered Israelis. An Israeli official told Axios that Israel has prepared a list of hundreds of prisoners Palestinian security agency that it is ready to release if an agreement is reached, but the precise number and identity of the prisoners will be determined only on the basis of the hostages that Hamas is willing to release.
In a statement, the movement said the current round of talks in Doha will “focus on ensuring that the agreement leads to a complete cessation of hostilities and the withdrawal of the occupation forces from the Gaza Strip.” Netanyahu, however, has refused to commit to a complete end to the war and has said the fight against Hamas will resume at the conclusion of any agreement and will continue until Hamas’ military and civilian governance capabilities are destroyed. The Israeli mid-level negotiating team sent to Doha is made up of representatives of the IDF, Mossad and the Shin Bet security agency.