Urgent negotiations have been taking place since October 7th between Qatar and Hamas in an attempt to free Israeli women and children captured by Islamist groups and held in Gaza, is in exchange for the release of 36 Palestinian women and children from Israeli prisons, as reported by the Reuters news agency on Monday.
The talks, conducted in coordination with the United States, are said to be progressing, although no agreement has been reached yet, with both parties unwilling to back down.
However, according to an Israeli political source cited by the Hebrew newspaper Israel Hayom, there are actually no ongoing negotiations. On the other hand, Hamas has stated that the “issue of prisoner exchanges” would be addressed after discussing the “absolute priority” of stopping the “war against Gaza.”
Qatar, which has close ties with Hamas and frequently acts as a mediator, has been in contact with the group’s officials in Doha and Gaza since it launched attacks on several Israeli cities on October 7th. So far, more than 800 Israelis and over 500 Palestinians have reportedly been killed in the Israeli counterattacks.
