Israel-Hamas. The war accelerates, but discussions on the fate of the hostages continue

2023-10-30 20:56:05

Negotiations over the fate of Hamas hostages continue, announce it Financial Times. And this despite the intensification of Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip and the IDF’s ground incursions into territory controlled by the armed Islamist movement.

The Jewish State and Hamas “always talk to each other [indirectement]they listen to each other”, assures a diplomatic source to the British newspaper. The discussions, carried out under the aegis of Qatar, were certainly shaken by Israel’s military action.

Et “optimism” mediators, convinced of the need for an agreement including a humanitarian pause, have weakened. But contact between the different parties has not been broken.

Family concerns

“Israeli forces launched the largest bombardment of Gaza on Friday since the war began three weeks ago,” remind him Financial Times. L’intensification de l’offensive, “which Israeli officials say will increase pressure on Hamas to release the captives,” has however “reinforced the concern of the families of the hostages regarding the fate of their loved oness”.

In the past ten days, four people – two Israeli citizens and two American nationals – have been released “unilaterally” by the armed Islamist movement.

“But the death of Shani Louk, a 22-year-old German-Israeli citizen who was allegedly kidnapped by Hamas, has also been confirmed.” According to the Israeli authorities, more than 230 civilians and soldiers of Israeli, European and Thai nationality were captured during the attack by the armed Islamist group, which left more than 1,400 dead, on October 7.

A “night operation”

On Monday, October 30, the release of Israeli soldier Ori Megidish was also announced by the Israeli intelligence services and the IDF. It follows a “night operation” carried out by the army of the Jewish state in the Gaza Strip.

To free its non-Israeli hostages, Hamas is demanding a five-day pause in bombings, as well as deliveries of food, fuel and medicine to the Gaza Strip, where Israeli strikes have, according to the Palestinian movement, made more 8,000 dead and 20,000 injured.

The Islamist movement adds “additional conditions” for the release of Israeli citizens. “This includes the possibility for the injured to travel to Egypt via the Rafah border post” and the release of Palestinian prisoners held by the Jewish state.