As ceasefire talks stall, Israel considers dispatching senior officials to Qatar, with mediators awaiting responses from both sides on a new proposal.
Israel Considers Fresh Delegation to Doha as Hostage Deal Talks Hang in Balance
Israel is contemplating dispatching another high-level delegation to Doha in a renewed attempt to break the deadlock over a ceasefire and hostage release agreement, according to a Kan News report on Friday evening, citing informed Israeli sources.
The move hinges on responses to a revised proposal submitted Thursday by international mediators. As of now, neither Israel nor Hamas has formally replied, leaving the continuation of negotiations uncertain.
A Palestinian source told Kan: “Patience is required. These things take time. Hamas is still debating whether and how to respond to Israel’s new proposal.”
The contentious proposal includes several unresolved issues, notably the list of terrorist prisoners Hamas seeks to secure in any exchange.
Earlier Friday, a senior Israeli diplomatic official described “significant progress” over the past two weeks in indirect negotiations with Hamas. However, the source warned that critical challenges remain, especially regarding Hamas’s stalling tactics. “Hamas is acting as if time works in its favor,” the official said, “but the battlefield reality will show otherwise.”
Despite tensions, Israel’s delegation remains in Qatar, underscoring the cautious hope that the talks can still bear fruit. “We are not in a place to be either optimistic or pessimistic,” the diplomatic source noted. “But we must be realistic about Hamas’s behavior.”
In parallel, Abu Obeida, spokesperson for Hamas’s military wing, accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of rejecting a Hamas offer for the release of all hostages. In his first recorded statement since March, Obeida warned that if the current round of talks collapses, Hamas may withdraw from partial deals altogether in the future.
