Jerusalem: Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said on Monday that “progress” has been achieved in the talks held in Qatar on a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas that will secure the release of the hostages.
“There is progress in the negotiations to release the hostages,” Sa’ar said during joint remarks alongside Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen, who is on a trip to the region.
“Israel very much wants to release the hostages and is working hard to reach a deal,” Sa’ar said.
One sticking point in the indirect negotiations has been the nature of the ceasefire. Hamas is demanding a permanent truce, while Israel seeks a temporary pause, maintaining the option to resume military operations if necessary for security reasons.
The talks in Doha aim to end the more than 15 months of deadly war between Israel and Hamas.
The Israeli delegation, led by Mossad chief David Barnea and Shin Bet domestic security agency head Ronen Bar, arrived in Doha on Saturday for discussions with US President-elect Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff and Qatari Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, Xinhua news agency reported.
Another Israeli officials also indicated on Monday that the negotiators have made “substantial progress” in talks in Qatar on a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal, though no agreement has been achieved yet.
“It seems the direction is positive,” the official said on condition of anonymity, adding that Israel had made “concessions” in pursuit of an agreement and was awaiting Hamas’ response.
Should both sides agree, the details of the deal could be finalized “within days,” the official said.
Meanwhile, an Israeli government official denied media reports according to which Qatar has submitted “a final” draft agreement to both Israel and Hamas, Israel’s state-owned Kan TV news reported.
The proposed deal reportedly includes three stages, during which Hamas will release the hostages in return for a ceasefire and the release of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli prisons.
Israel has been conducting a large-scale offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip to retaliate against a Hamas rampage through the southern Israeli border on October 7, 2023, during which about 1,200 people were killed and around 250 taken hostage. The Gaza-based health authorities reported Sunday that the Israeli strikes have killed at least 46,565 people.
(IANS)
