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Hamas officials today reiterated that they will release the Israeli hostages only if the Israeli army withdraws from the Gaza Strip and said that the newly elected US President Donald Trump should be “more diplomatic”, after his threats that “hell will break out” in Gaza if the hostages are not released. .
– I think that the US president must make more disciplined and diplomatic statements – said the Hamas official.
At a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago residence, Trump warned that “hell will break out in the Middle East” if Hamas does not release the Israeli hostages by his inauguration on January 20.
Hamas reiterated previous demands that Israel must end its war in the enclave and withdraw its army from the Palestinian territory, after which the hostages would be freed, while Tel Aviv said it would not end the war until Hamas fighters were eliminated and the hostages freed, writes Reuters .
The two sides blame each other for the failure of the talks so far and Israel claims that Hamas is the “only obstacle” to a truce, while Hamas has accused Israel of changing the demands for peace several times.
Israel sent a team of officials to Qatar for talks mediated by Qatari and Egyptian mediators, and Arab media reported that David Barnea, the director of the Mossad, was expected to join them.
An unnamed Hamas official told Reuters on Sunday that the group had approved a list submitted by Israel of 34 hostages who could be freed in the initial phase of the truce, along with Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. According to reports, the list included the wives of Israeli soldiers, as well as the elderly, women and minor civilians.
Since the start of Israel’s war in the Gaza Strip in October 2023, more than 46,000 Palestinians have been killed and about 109,000 wounded.
In the besieged northern Gaza Strip, all hospitals, including Kamal Advan, which was burned down by Israeli forces last week, are out of order.
Source: www.vesti-online.com
