Israel Struggle for Hamas hostages - Will the ceasefire hold?
While thousands of demonstrators in Israel are once again demanding the release of all hostages in the Gaza Strip, indirect negotiations on this issue are continuing in Qatar.
14.03.2025, 04:26
SDA
According to the US news website "Axios", US special envoy Steve Witkoff has submitted an updated proposal for an extension of the ceasefire for several weeks. According to the proposal, Islamist Hamas would have to hand over at least five live hostages and the remains of around nine abductees, while Israel would have to allow aid deliveries to Gaza again in return.
A proposal previously submitted by Witkoff envisaged the handover of significantly more abductees. According to Israeli information, 24 living hostages and 35 bodies of abductees are still being held in the Gaza Strip. Israel has reacted "positively" to Witkoff's latest proposal, according to the Axios report. Qatar and Egypt, which are acting as mediators alongside the USA, are now waiting for Hamas' response, it added.
Will a lasting ceasefire succeed?
The extension of the ceasefire proposed by Witkoff is intended to give both sides more time to negotiate a long-term ceasefire agreement, "Axios" reported. According to the report, should such a long-term agreement be reached, Hamas would have to hand over all remaining live hostages and the remaining bodies of abductees on the last day of the temporary ceasefire extension before the long-term ceasefire comes into force.
According to Israeli media reports, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu plans to convene his closest aides and security chiefs in Qatar's capital Doha on Saturday evening to assess the latest developments in the hostage talks. If no breakthrough is achieved by then, Netanyahu will call his negotiating team back from Qatar.
Renewed protests in Israel
According to the "Times of Israel", relatives of the hostages reacted with concern to the latest proposal because it only provides for the release of a few hostages. The forum of relatives demanded a comprehensive and immediate agreement that would bring back all the abductees remaining in Gaza in one fell swoop and leave no one behind. "Otherwise, the living hostages who remain in the tunnels will be sentenced to death," it said. Thousands gathered in Tel Aviv to emphasize their demand.
Before the start of the negotiations in Qatar, Israel had stopped all humanitarian aid deliveries to the Gaza Strip and cut off the power supply to the sealed-off coastal area. With these measures, which primarily affect the already suffering Palestinian civilian population, Israel wants to increase the pressure on Hamas to release the remaining hostages.
However, the Islamists have so far demanded guarantees that there will be talks on the second phase of the original agreement. This second phase provides for the withdrawal of the Israeli army from Gaza, a permanent end to the war and the release of the remaining hostages. However, Israel is still pursuing the war aim of completely destroying Hamas in Gaza.
