:quality(85)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/infobae/KPYID2BPWNLHONYUUF2WTB7BQE.jpg "Egypt and Qatar Mediating Three-Day Ceasefire in Gaza in Exchange for Release of 12 Hostages")
Egypt and Qatar Mediating Three-Day Ceasefire Between Hamas and Israel in Exchange for Hostage Release
Egypt and Qatar are currently mediating negotiations between Hamas and Israel in an effort to achieve a three-day ceasefire in exchange for the release of 12 hostages, half of them Americans, according to Palestinian sources speaking to the EFE and AFP agencies.
“The talks revolve around the release of 12 hostages, half of them Americans, in exchange for a three-day truce that allows Hamas to release these hostages,” a source told AFP on condition of anonymity.
However, there are disagreements over the duration of the ceasefire, with Hamas demanding a truce of no less than a week, while Israel insists on a three-day duration, according to the source.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated his rejection of a ceasefire in Gaza without the release of the hostages held by Hamas, denying reports about a humanitarian truce mediated by Qatar.
“I would like to put an end to all kinds of false rumors that come to us from all sides and reiterate something clearly: there will be no ceasefire without the release of our hostages,” Netanyahu declared.
In Doha, a source close to the discussions told AFP that Qatar is carrying out this mediation “in coordination with the United States (…) to obtain the release of between 10 and 15 hostages in exchange for a two-day ceasefire.”
The discussions are currently stumbling over the “duration” of the truce and the inclusion of the northern Gaza Strip, the theater of the main combat operations, according to a source close to Hamas.
Qatar awaits a response from the Israelis. This State already participated in the mediation that led to the release of four hostages in October.
The truce would also allow Egypt to “provide more humanitarian aid” to the besieged Palestinian territory through the Rafah crossing, according to the same source.
On October 7, Hamas launched an attack on Israeli soil, during which it kidnapped 240 people and took them to the Gaza Strip. At least 1,400 people have been killed in Israel since the start of the war, mostly civilians, according to Israeli authorities. Israel’s retaliation, which seeks to “annihilate” Hamas, left more than 10,500 dead in the Gaza Strip, including more than 4,000 children, according to the Islamist movement’s Ministry of Health.
Israel refuses any humanitarian truce until the hostages are released.
The negotiations are ongoing, and further updates are expected. (With information from AFP and EFE)