Israeli media reported on Monday night that some of the more than 200 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza may be released soon amid intensive negotiations brokered by Qatar and the US.
John Kirby, strategic communications co-ordinator at the US National Security Council, suggested to reporters that negotiations were at a delicate stage.
Only two of the 200-plus people abducted by Hamas in its attack on Israel on October 7th, US mother and daughter Judith and Natalie Raanan, have been released by the militant group to date.
“Where we are right now in the process makes it impossible for us to publicly detail the efforts that are going on. We are grateful for all the help we got getting those two Americans out, the mother and daughter, and we’re glad that that they’re okay,” Mr Kirby said.
“There’s just a lot of effort going on, a lot of conversations and discussions with partners in the region. And I think it’s just best if we don’t detail that.”
The New York Times, citing a senior Israeli military official, says 50 dual nationals could be released, “based on conversations between the United States and Qatar”.
Amid criticism in Jerusalem that foreigners were being prioritised over Israelis for possible release, a statement from prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s office in Jerusalem attributed to a senior diplomatic source said “Israel will not be a party to a ‘selection’ for holders of foreign passports for release”.
Israel Defence Forces spokesman Daniel Hagari did not deny the report of potential imminent releases but said the public would be updated when there was something to know.
It appears that the continuing contacts may be the primary reason holding up the anticipated Israeli ground offensive into Gaza, following more than two weeks of intensive Israeli air strikes on Gaza in the wake of the Hamas attack.
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The Palestinian health ministry reported on Monday that more than 5,000 people, including over 2,000 children, have been killed since Israel started bombing the enclave on October 7th, after some 2,000 gunmen stormed across the border into southern Israel, killing more than 1,400 people, most of them civilians, some in the most horrific circumstances.
Israel updated to 222 on Monday the number of hostages in captivity, including toddlers, children, women and elderly, many of them foreign nationals. Friday’s release by Hamas of Ms Raanan and her daughter raised hopes that a more comprehensive deal could be reached to release more hostages in return for Palestinian security prisoners held in Israeli prisons, or for humanitarian gestures.
As the humanitarian crisis in Gaza worsens, a third convoy bringing much-needed aid crossed via Egypt’s Rafah crossing on Monday, bringing food, water and medicine. Israel says no fuel will be allowed to enter and the relief effort will be halted if any of the supplies reach Hamas. Aid groups warned that the supplies were insufficient to combat the “catastrophic” humanitarian situation in the coastal enclave, while the Palestine Red Crescent Society described the relief effort as a “drop in the ocean” of what is needed.
On day 17 of the war, Israel said that among the sites hit in Gaza were entrances to the Hamas tunnel network, the vast underground network dubbed the Gaza metro, where tens of thousands of heavily armed militants are thought to be waiting to engage the invading Israeli forces.
The Israeli military also confirmed that troops had entered Gaza on a number of missions aimed at gaining intelligence on the hostages, including a raid on Sunday in which a soldier was killed in an exchange of fire with Hamas gunmen.
In Israel, trust in the government is at a 20-year low, according to a new poll by the Israel Democracy Institute. Only 20.5 per cent of Jewish Israelis and 7.5 per cent of Arab Israelis polled say they have trust in Mr Netanyahu’s government.
