The source told Agence France-Presse on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the talks: “Negotiations are underway, mediated by Qatar, in coordination with the United States, to secure the release of 10 to 15 hostages in exchange for a ceasefire for a day or two” in Gaza.
Hamas has been holding about 240 hostages between Israelis and foreigners, according to the Israeli authorities, since October 7, when it launched a surprise attack on southern Israel that killed about 1,400 people.
The death toll from the continuous Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip since then has reached more than 10,000 people, most of them civilians, including more than 4,000 children, according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza.
Qatari mediation has so far succeeded in releasing 4 hostages: two Americans on October 20 and two Israelis on the 23rd of the same month.
On November 1, Qatar warned that Israel’s expansion of its attacks in Gaza to include civilian targets “would undermine mediation and de-escalation efforts,” denouncing the Israeli bombing of the Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip.
Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani confirmed during a press conference on Sunday that “Qatari mediation efforts in the field of releasing prisoners are still continuing,” despite “the complexity of the field situation due to the practices of the Israeli occupation army.”
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