Egypt Daily News – There is little progress in the Doha negotiations to release the remaining hostages held in Gaza in exchange for a ceasefire, Egyptian and Israeli officials said on Saturday. According to an informed Israeli official, there is slow progress in the talks. Likewise, an Egyptian official said that they did not see progress in the negotiations.
There was a flurry of intense diplomatic activity in mid-December, as the administration of US President Joe Biden sought to revitalize negotiations. Some Israeli ministers also expressed optimism about the possibility of reaching an agreement. But the initial momentum of negotiations appears to have subsided.
On Friday, Hamas said that indirect negotiations had been resumed in Doha to focus on “an agreement that leads to a complete ceasefire, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip, and the return of the displaced to their homes from which they were expelled in all areas of the Strip.”
These statements came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to send a delegation to Doha to resume the talks.
US President-elect Donald Trump said there would be a “price to pay” if the hostages were not released by the time he took office on January 20.
As of December 5, Hamas was still holding 100 hostages in Gaza, many of whom died. Among them are 96 hostages who were kidnapped on October 7, 2023, and four others who were kidnapped before that.
