Israeli-Hamas truce can be extended if Palestinian group returns dozens of hostages still held in Gaza - Qatari Prime Minister

Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani spoke about more than 40 Israelis being held in Gaza and noted that the truce could be extended if Hamas could use the pause in the conflict to find these hostages. This was reported was reported by UNN with reference to The Financial Times.

Details

Sheikh Mohammed said that Israel had provided Qatar with a list of more than 90 women and children captured during the devastating October 7 Hamas attack, which, according to Israeli officials, killed about 1,200 people. Some 240 hostages were captured and taken back to Hamas-controlled Gaza. Among the other hostages were Israeli soldiers and elderly civilians.

At the same time, he pointed out that Hamas told Qatar that the organization's militants had not allegedly captured civilians. civilians, accusing other militants and Palestinians who were raging in southern Israel after the armed group broke through Israeli security barriers around Gaza. around Gaza.

According to Sheikh Mohammed, the hostage deal included the release of the release of 50 women and children, as this was the number Hamas claimed it could provide, it was able to provide.

In a statement on Sunday Hamas said it was seeking to extend the truce by increasing the number of "released from detention". But the group did not specify whether it was hostages in Gaza or Palestinians in Israeli prisons.

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Sheikh Mohammed said that the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, another militant faction in Gaza, is coordinating with Hamas to free the hostages.

From our point of view, we want point of view, we want this war to stop in order to find a solution to to solve the problems that they [Israel] have, but so far the only willingness to negotiate any kind of pause or ceasefire ... is related to the . has to do with the hostages. (...) If things go in the right direction, we can start negotiations on another category [of hostages]" 

Addendum

Qatar believes unlikely to achieve the destruction of the Hamas terrorist organization, which Israel has called as the goal of the war.

Hamas will not be destroyed so easily. Whether we agree with it or not, it is a part of society in Gaza as well as in the West Bank

In addition, according to the Qatari Prime Minister, it is time "for us as a region to fulfill our duty - and for Israel to fulfill its duty to make peace possible".

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