Hamas Remains Unresponsive to Efforts to Revive Hostage Negotiations
Hamas remains unresponsive to recent attempts to resume hostage negotiations, hindering the release of additional captives abducted on October 7 Despite ongoing mediation efforts by the US and other parties, progress is stalled
Hamas has not responded to recent attempts to restart hostage negotiations, according to a source familiar with the efforts. The US and other mediators are working to revive talks in hopes of securing the release of more hostages who were abducted on October 7.
Qatar, serving as an intermediary, has presented new proposals to Hamas in an effort to secure the release of additional hostages from Gaza. These ideas include a potential deal that would involve the release of both women and men hostages, as reported by a source familiar with the efforts and a senior US official.
"There isn't an active negotiation, but there's a genuine exploration of ideas for how to make progress," stated the senior US official.
However, Hamas has not been receptive to the outreach efforts, according to a knowledgeable source.
Qatar communicates with Hamas political officials in Gaza, who in turn deliver messages to the group's leadership inside the strip. This leadership is actively working to avoid detection by Israel. US officials have found it very challenging to get responses from Hamas, especially during the initial negotiations which ultimately led to the release of a series of hostages. Engaging in talks with Hamas leaders may now be even more difficult due to Israel's intensified efforts to track them down.
Simultaneously, Israel, which has resumed its military operation against Hamas following a seven-day truce, believes that targeting southern Gaza, particularly Khan Younis, will exert additional pressure on Hamas. Sources indicate that this pressure could be beneficial in securing the release of more hostages. Some US officials also believe that the military pressure may ultimately drive Hamas back to the negotiating table.
The senior US official suggested that it might be time for Hamas to seriously reconsider returning to the negotiating table. Formal negotiations have not resumed since the breakdown of hostage talks in Doha earlier this month. However, Israel, the US, and Qatar have been in ongoing discussions to find ways to revive the talks, with over 100 hostages still believed to be held in Gaza. "We never stopped," one source familiar with the discussions confirmed.
The Israeli Prime Minister's office has stated that they believe there are 135 hostages still in Gaza, with 116 confirmed to be alive. Their position that Hamas must release the female hostages first has not changed, despite Hamas's refusal and claim that the women are considered soldiers, which Israel rejects.
Eight Americans, consisting of seven men and one woman, are still missing, as stated by the White House. The delay in securing the release of the hostages coincides with President Joe Biden's upcoming face-to-face meeting with some of the hostages' families at the White House on Wednesday.
Israel has informed the US that they are cautiously testing the use of seawater to flood some Hamas tunnels on a limited scale to assess its effectiveness in degrading the group's tunnel network. Israeli officials have assured their American counterparts that this is being done only in tunnels where they believe no hostages are held.
During a news conference on Tuesday, Biden stated that he has heard claims that there are no hostages currently being held in those tunnels, but his administration has not been able to definitively confirm this: "I don't know that for a fact," he said.
