Israel and Hamas fail negotiations on hostage release
Photo: Israel and Hamas fail hostage release talks (Getty Images)
Israel and Hamas failed to reach an agreement on the release of hostages. Tel Aviv was dissatisfied with the response from the Islamist movement, reports The Times of Israel.
According to an unnamed Israeli official, Israel received a response from Hamas regarding the framework of the hostage release agreement, which was reached last weekend in Paris.
Meanwhile, representatives of the Islamist movement refused to meet Israel's demand for a list of living hostages, as well as to provide information on how many Palestinian prisoners Israel should release in exchange for each freed hostage.
"In the wake of the unsatisfactory response, Israel is not sending a delegation to Cairo today, says the official," the media says.
War between Israel and Hamas
On October 7, 2023, militants from the radical Palestinian Islamic movement Hamas launched attacks on Israel from the Gaza Strip. According to official data, in the first days of the attacks, militants killed 1200 civilians and soldiers and abducted approximately 250 individuals.
At the end of October, the Israel Defense Forces began a ground military operation in the Gaza Strip, which continues to this day. The country's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, stated that the operation aims to completely destroy Hamas and free the hostages.
In early February, the Israeli Prime Minister announced the readiness of the IDF to launch a ground invasion into the city of Rafah near the border with Egypt in the southern Gaza Strip. Cairo, in turn, threatened to halt a key peace agreement with Tel Aviv if the Israeli army entered Rafah.
Recently, Israel threatened to advance on Rafah if Hamas does not release the hostages before Ramadan.
