Israel’s Defense Minister has claimed that negotiators have never been closer to an agreement with Hamas on the release of the hostages captured on October 7.
Israel Katz reportedly told members of the Israeli parliament’s foreign affairs committee: “We have not been this close to an agreement on the hostages since the last deal.”
A source later told AFP that an Israeli technical team had arrived in Doha, Qatar, on Monday “to discuss the ceasefire and hostage situation in Gaza.”
The source, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the talks, added that the meetings were “between Israeli and Qatari working-level teams.”
According to his spokesman, Katz told members of the Israeli parliament’s foreign affairs committee: “We have not been this close to an agreement on the hostages since the last deal.”
A senior Hamas official in Doha also said negotiations were progressing.
“A deal for prisoner exchanges and a ceasefire between the resistance and the occupation has actually moved closer than ever before, if (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu does not deliberately disrupt the agreement as he has done every time before.” , the official said on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.
He said Hamas had informed Egyptian and Qatari mediators of its willingness to stop the war.
Israel Katz (pictured) reportedly told members of the Israeli parliament’s foreign affairs committee: ‘Not since the last deal have we been this close to an agreement on the hostages’
Relatives of Israelis held hostage by Palestinian militants in Gaza since the October 7 attacks, and supporters, gather for a demonstration calling on the US to intervene for their release outside the US Embassy branch on December 12, 2024 in Tel Aviv.
Israelis protest against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government and call for the release of hostages held in the Gaza Strip by the militant group Hamas, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Saturday, December 7, 2024
“But Hamas at the same time emphasized that it will accept nothing less than an agreement leading to a complete and permanent cessation of the war, a complete withdrawal from the entire Gaza Strip, including the Philadelphi and Netzarim axes, the return of the Gaza Strip. displaced persons, and a serious prisoner exchange deal.”
Since October 7, when Hamas terrorists killed about 1,200 people and kidnapped more than 250, negotiations for a ceasefire in exchange for the hostages have moved at a snail’s pace.
Although more than 100 people were released in November 2023, little progress has been made since then.
That release came as part of an exchange that secured the freedom of 240 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons.
All mediation efforts since then, led by Egypt, the United States and Qatar, have failed to broker a new ceasefire.
In September, Qatar had announced it would suspend its efforts, blaming both sides for a lack of willingness to reach an agreement.
However, since Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential election in early November, diplomatic efforts have resumed, now mediated jointly by Washington, Cairo, Doha and Ankara.
On Thursday, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said during a visit to Israel that he “felt” Netanyahu was ready for a deal to secure the release of hostages.
Palestinians watch the aftermath of an Israeli bombardment in the Nuseirat refugee camp, Gaza Strip, June 8, 2024
Smoke rising from Gaza, amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, seen from the Israeli side of the border, December 16, 2024
Israeli soldiers are seen in a tunnel that the army says Hamas militants used to attack the Erez border crossing in the northern Gaza Strip, on December 15, 2023
On Monday, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said negotiations had been productive in recent days, but disagreements remained.
“We are pushing as hard as we can right now, and we believe we can reach a deal. But again, it remains the job of Hamas and Israel to get it over the line,” he told reporters.
“And I can’t in good conscience tell you, stand here and tell you that’s going to happen, but it should happen.”
Late on Monday, Netanyahu’s office said he had met with Adam Boehler, US President Donald Trump’s designated hostage affairs envoy, who is visiting Israel.
Netanyahu also spoke with Trump this weekend about Israel’s efforts to secure the release of hostages.
Seven people with US citizenship remain in custody in Gaza, with four confirmed dead, Israeli officials said.
MailOnline has contacted the Hostage Families Forum for comment.