 "Hamas optimistic about hostage negotiations as delegation heads to Qatar")
“There is a good chance that hostage negotiations will succeed this time”, senior Hamas official Mousa Abu Marzouk told the Qatari daily al-Araby al-Jadeed, according to a Times of Israel report.
His comments come as a Hamas delegation is said to leave Cairo for Doha today to continue talks with mediators.
Meanwhile, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also approved a delegation to resume ceasefire negotiations in Qatar, his office said on Thursday in a statement.
Earlier, Times of Israel reported that no Israeli delegation is expected to take part in the talks tomorrow.
Hamas’s optimism contrasts with recent Israeli assessments indicating that negotiations have stalled due to the group’s refusal to provide a list of living hostages for release.
Another Hamas official Jihad Taha told a Qatari outlet that the Hamas delegation has met with Egyptian, Qatari, and Turkish mediators in Cairo “in order to overcome the obstacles and conditions put recently by the Israeli side with the goal to continue the aggression against our people,” adding that “Hamas is dealing positively and openly with all the issues.”
He emphasised that “Hamas is engaging positively and openly with all issues.”
According to the report, citing Al-Araby al-Jadeed, discussions in Cairo focused on potentially postponing negotiations on certain contentious points until after the first phase of a ceasefire.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsThe report suggests that this proposal, which Hamas is said to have accepted, will be presented to the Israeli side in hopes of reaching an agreement before US President-elect Donald Trump takes office on January 20.
However, the timeline and location for future meetings between mediators and an Israeli delegation remain unclear, added the report.
Israeli officials have accused Hamas of reverting to a rigid stance that obstructs progress towards a deal, despite earlier indications of a possible softening. Meanwhile, Hamas claims that Israel has introduced new demands, causing delays in the negotiations.
According to Arab mediators speaking to The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday, talks have reached a deadlock, as both sides have intensified their demands beyond what the other is willing to accept.
The report said that Israel is insisting that only living hostages be released in the initial phase of any potential agreement, while Hamas is demanding that the first group of approximately 30 hostages includes deceased individuals.
Hamas has also reiterated its demand for a permanent cessation of hostilities, a commitment that Israel is unwilling to make, added the report.
With inputs from agencies
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