Sunday 29 / December / 2024
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hinted on Saturday that a new round of Qatar-mediated negotiations could get underway to free hostages held by the Palestinian militant-Islamist group Hamas in Gaza.
When asked about a recent meeting between Mossad chief and Israel's lead negotiator, David Barnea, with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Netanyahu confirmed he had given instructions to the team.
"We have serious criticisms of Qatar, about which I suppose you will hear in due course, but right now we are trying to complete the recovery of our hostages," he said.
Netanyahu also vowed to continue military pressure against Hamas.
"The instruction I am giving the negotiating team is predicated on this pressure, without which we have nothing," he said.
However, the Israeli prime minister did not provide specific details of the talks.
"There is one mistake that we can make, which is to relay our calculations to Hamas, to the world," he said. "We shall not be getting into the details of the negotiations."
Hamas said Saturday that it would not "open any negotiations to exchange prisoners unless the aggression against our people stops completely."
