Qatar: Positive Response from Hamas Regarding Hostage Exchange Deal
Blinken States "We Will Discuss It with Israel"
The Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani announced today (Tuesday) that his country received a response from Hamas to what he described as the general framework of an agreement regarding a prisoner and detainee swap deal.
According to the Arab World News Agency, the Foreign Minister characterized the response as "overall positive" and noted that Qatar had relayed this response to the Israeli side.
Palestinian officials had clarified that the agreement framework is divided into three stages, with the first phase encompassing a 40-day ceasefire during which Hamas will release civilian hostages from among the remaining 253 individuals previously taken to the Gaza Strip following an attack by Hamas, in coordination with other Palestinian factions, on adjacent Israeli towns on October 7.
The second and third stages include the release of military personal and the return of the bodies of deceased hostages. The truce would also allow humanitarian aid to enter Gaza and enable the 2.3 million inhabitants of the region to return to their homes after having been displaced due to the conflict.
Ministers from the Likud Party, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, oppose a phased deal and have called for a one-stage agreement. They express skepticism regarding the potential progression to the other stages of the proposed deal, as reported by the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation.
On his part, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that the United States is reviewing Hamas's response to a framework agreement that would see Hamas release hostages in exchange for a prolonged ceasefire in Gaza. In a press conference in Qatar, he added that he would discuss the Hamas response with officials in Israel during his visit there tomorrow, Wednesday. Blinken remarked, "There is still much work to be done, but we still believe that reaching an agreement is both possible and indeed necessary."
In Washington, U.S. President Joe Biden mentioned there had been "some movement" towards an agreement to secure the release of hostages held by the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), describing their response to the deal as "exaggerated."
According to the Arab World News Agency, the Foreign Minister characterized the response as "overall positive" and noted that Qatar had relayed this response to the Israeli side.
Palestinian officials had clarified that the agreement framework is divided into three stages, with the first phase encompassing a 40-day ceasefire during which Hamas will release civilian hostages from among the remaining 253 individuals previously taken to the Gaza Strip following an attack by Hamas, in coordination with other Palestinian factions, on adjacent Israeli towns on October 7.
The second and third stages include the release of military personal and the return of the bodies of deceased hostages. The truce would also allow humanitarian aid to enter Gaza and enable the 2.3 million inhabitants of the region to return to their homes after having been displaced due to the conflict.
Ministers from the Likud Party, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, oppose a phased deal and have called for a one-stage agreement. They express skepticism regarding the potential progression to the other stages of the proposed deal, as reported by the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation.
On his part, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that the United States is reviewing Hamas's response to a framework agreement that would see Hamas release hostages in exchange for a prolonged ceasefire in Gaza. In a press conference in Qatar, he added that he would discuss the Hamas response with officials in Israel during his visit there tomorrow, Wednesday. Blinken remarked, "There is still much work to be done, but we still believe that reaching an agreement is both possible and indeed necessary."
In Washington, U.S. President Joe Biden mentioned there had been "some movement" towards an agreement to secure the release of hostages held by the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), describing their response to the deal as "exaggerated."
