The chances that more Israeli hostages will be released by Hamas are diminishing as Israel expands its ground offensive across Gaza and the US struggles to restart negotiations, the sources said.
“Today not much happened in the talks between the parties,” a foreign source familiar with the hostage negotiations told Haaretz on Sunday. “The thing is stuck.
“Although the door is not closed forever, the mood is pessimistic.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later clarified that Israel had withdrawn from the hostage negotiations for the time being.
A ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian terror group – which allowed the release of dozens of the 240 hostages taken by Hamas during a sneak attack on Israel on October 7 – ended Friday, when the Israeli government accused the terrorists of violating the agreement by firing rockets into the Jewish state.
Israel quickly revived its war against Hamas, launching its 10,000th airstrike Sunday in the Gaza Strip since the conflict began on October 7 and saying it would spread its ground offensive across the Palestinian-held territory.
The chances that more Israeli hostages will be released from Hamas custody remain slim, said those familiar with the negotiations. via REUTERS
With the attacks continuing, an unidentified foreign diplomat said he did not expect any more hostages to be released.
“It will take a lot of time and effort to prepare the parties for another agreement, especially with increased Israeli military operations in the background,” the diplomat told Haaretz.
The US is still desperately trying to persuade Israel and Hamas to resume negotiations for a peace truce and exchange more Palestinian prisoners for hostages.
More than 100 hostages taken by Hamas terrorists on October 7 have been released during a temporary ceasefire. GPO/AFP via Getty Images A ceasefire negotiated for the partial exchange of 240 hostages ended Friday. via REUTERS
“We’re still working hard, hour after hour, to see if we can get the team back to the table and see if we can get something moving,” John Kirby, a spokesman for the White House National Security Council, said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” Sunday. .
He emphasized that Hamas was to blame for the breakdown in negotiations, saying it had failed to meet the terms of its original agreement by refusing to release a list of more women and children hostages who could be released – in addition to the 105 that had already been released.
Meanwhile, Osama Hamdan, Hamas’s representative in Lebanon, said negotiations would not continue until Israel’s ground invasion stopped, according to the New York Times.
Israel on Sunday launched its 10,000th airstrike on the Gaza Strip since the war began on Oct. 7. REUTERS Osama Hamdan, Hamas’s representative in Lebanon, said hostage negotiations would not resume until Israel’s ground invasion stopped. AFP via Getty Images The ceasefire ended with Israel accusing Hamas of violating the agreement by launching rockets into the Jewish state. AFP via Getty Images
Netanyahu said his country was focused on freeing the hostages by force.
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“We are now continuing to talk to our enemies about continuing to release hostages – talking with fire,” he told members of his Likud party Sunday, according to the Times of Israel.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Sunday told family members of those still held captive in Gaza, “As the military operation progresses, the pressure on Hamas increases and so do our chances to return more hostages.”
But the family is demanding Israel once again negotiate with the terrorist group to free more hostages.
They demanded Monday to meet with all three members of Israel’s war cabinet, with Yael Adar – the mother of hostage Tamir Adar – saying they wanted assurances that the government remained focused on bringing the hostages home.
“We are asking for answers on the next steps and for [the cabinet] to assure us that hostages are a priority,” he said at a press conference, according to the Times of Israel.
The families of those still held by Hamas are demanding that Israel once again negotiate with the terrorist group to free their loved ones. Getty Images
Daniel Lifshitz, whose grandparents were taken hostage, called on the Israeli government to release the hostages no matter what.
“Return to the negotiating table immediately … and reach an agreement at any price,” he said. “That’s what you promised us. We will not beg.”
Netanyahu’s office said he, Gallant and Knesset member Benny Gantz were scheduled to meet with the hostages’ families Wednesday but were considering rescheduling the meeting.
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