NewsQatar enters the game. Negotiations with Hamas have begun

Qatar enters the game. Negotiations with Hamas have begun

Reuters reports that Qatari intermediaries are discussing a possible exchange of Israeli women and children kidnapped on Saturday by Hamas fighters for 36 Palestinian women and children held in Israeli prisons. The agency cites an anonymous source for this information.

Qatar enters the game. Negotiations with Hamas have begun
Qatar enters the game. Negotiations with Hamas have begun
Images source: © GETTY | Anadolu Agency
ed. TWA

11:41 AM EDT, October 9, 2023

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Negotiations began on Saturday evening and "are moving positively" forward, although they have not yet brought a breakthrough - claims Reuters, citing a source familiar with the matter. Qatari negotiators are mediating in the discussions, in coordination with the United States.

An Israeli official, quoted by the portal Times of Israel, denied this information. - There are no negotiations on the release of hostages - he said. The portal does not provide the name or position of this official.

The conversation was confirmed by the Hamas representative in Lebanon, Osama Hamdan, in a discussion with the Emirati portal The National. - I think we're not talking about one leading country in mediating efforts between Hamas and Israel, but I can say that the talks indeed started yesterday - he stated, quoted by the portal.

Qatar mediator in talks

According to a Reuters source, officials from Qatar are in contact with representatives of Hamas in Doha and the Gaza Strip regarding the possibility of exchanging kidnapped Israeli women and children for 36 Palestinian women and children held in prisons in Israel.

It is unclear exactly how many people fell into the hands of Hamas fighters who infiltrated into Israeli territory on Saturday. It is suspected that the terrorists have taken hostages, including women, children, the elderly, and Israeli soldiers, into the Gaza Strip, which they control.

Hamas representative Mousa Abu Marzuk announced on Sunday that his group is holding more than 100 people captive. The Palestinian Islamic Jihad, which attacked Israel jointly with Hamas, claims to have abducted more than 30 people.

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