US President-Elect Increases Pressure on Gaza Hostage Release Talks
In a dramatic statement, US President-elect Donald Trump warned that the Middle East will “break hell loose” and that it will not be good for anyone, including the Hamas, if the hostages in the Gaza Strip are not released by his inauguration on January 20. Trump made the comments at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, without providing further details.
The Hamas, however, remains firm in its demand that Israel must fully cease its attacks on the Gaza Strip as part of a deal to release the hostages. The militant group has characterized Trump’s statement as “premature”.
Official representatives of the Hamas and Israel have been in talks with Qatari and Egyptian mediators for months to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza. The outgoing US administration has called for a last-ditch effort to reach a deal before Joe Biden takes office, and many in the region now view Trump’s inauguration as an unofficial deadline.
The Hamas has stated that it will only release the remaining hostages if Israel agrees to end the war and withdraw all its troops from the Gaza Strip. Israel, on the other hand, has made it clear that it will only cease fire when the Hamas is dissolved and all hostages are free.
“The Hamas is the only obstacle to the release of the hostages” claimed Eden Bar Tal, the director-general of the Israeli Foreign Ministry, at a press briefing, emphasizing that Israel is doing everything to achieve a deal.
Osama Hamdan, a Hamas representative, blamed Israel for undermining all efforts to reach a deal during a press conference in Algiers.
A Hamas official told Reuters on Sunday that the group has approved a list of 34 hostages presented by Israel, who could be released simultaneously with Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, as part of an early phase of a ceasefire. The list included Israeli soldiers, as well as older, female, and minor civilians. The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Israel has not received confirmation on the status of the individuals on the list.