After negotiations stop

Netanyahu leaves hostage relatives “stunned”

Netanyahu's halt to negotiations is tantamount to a "death sentence", say relatives.

(Bild: AFP)

Israel has demanded that Hamas give in before further negotiations on a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. The Palestinian terrorist organization should give up its "delusional demands", then an Israeli delegation would return to the negotiating table. Relatives of the hostages held in the Gaza Strip speak of a "death sentence" for their loved ones.

According to Israeli media, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is refusing to send a delegation back to Cairo on Thursday, where the international mediators' negotiations are due to continue.

Bereaved "stunned"
Relatives of the hostages still being held by Hamas in Gaza were "stunned" by Netanyahu's refusal and spoke of a "death sentence". It appeared that some members of Netanyahu's cabinet had decided to "sacrifice the lives of the hostages without admitting it", the Times of Israel newspaper quoted the hostage families' forum as saying.

The relatives have been waiting for their loved ones for almost 130 days.

(Bild: AFP)

Netanyahu's halt to negotiations is tantamount to a "death sentence", say relatives.

(Bild: AFP)

"I insist that Hamas give up its delusional demands. If they do, we will be able to move forward," Netanyahu said on Wednesday evening. Senior representatives from the USA, Israel, Qatar and Egypt had not reached an agreement the previous day in Cairo, but had agreed to extend the talks at lower official level by three days, as reported by the "New York Times", citing an Egyptian official.

Israel rejects Hamas demands
The Israeli delegation, led by the head of the Mossad intelligence service, David Barnea, left Cairo in the evening. "No new proposal from Hamas for the release of our hostages was conveyed in Cairo," said Netanyahu. According to Israeli media, he is of the opinion that a return to the talks in Cairo makes no sense as long as Hamas demands the release of a large number of Palestinian prisoners in return for the hostages.

According to the Times of Israel, the Islamist organization is demanding the release of around 1,500 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails, including numerous convicted murderers and terrorists, in exchange for the remaining hostages who were abducted from Israel to the Gaza Strip on 7 October. Hamas is also demanding a permanent ceasefire and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip.

Israel wants a "reasonable" proposal
Israeli officials have made it clear that Israel's army will soon launch the planned offensive on the city of Rafah in the south of the coastal strip if Hamas does not return to the negotiating table with a proposal that Israel considers more reasonable, the Wall Street Journal quoted a person familiar with Israel's position as saying.

According to Hamas circles, however, it is Israel that is not pressing ahead with the negotiations. A Hamas delegation is in Cairo. Egyptian media had previously reported that the tenor of the talks had so far been "positive". Egypt, Qatar and the USA are once again trying to bring about a longer ceasefire in the Gaza war. As part of an agreement, the hostages are to be exchanged for Palestinian prisoners in several phases.

During a one-week ceasefire last November, 105 hostages were released in return for 240 Palestinian prisoners. There are currently 134 people still held by Hamas, but Israel estimates that at least 30 of them are no longer alive.