Government hostage negotiator updates Goldin, Shaul families in talks with Hamas

The government’s chief negotiator for the release of Israelis held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Yaron Blum, updated the families of Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul regarding prisoner swap talks that have been taking place in recent weeks, the Kan public broadcaster reports.

This comes after Prime Minister Netanyahu convened the ministerial committee responsible for returning Israeli captives to discuss efforts to reach a prisoner exchange with the Hamas terror group last week, according to Channel 13.

This was the first meeting of the ministerial committee since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

Hamas in recent weeks has expressed interest in reaching a deal that would see it return Israeli captives Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed along with the bodies of soldiers Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul.

However, the group has said that in order for such a deal to take place, Israel must first release all teenage, female and elderly prisoners in addition to those who were rearrested after the 2011 Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange.

Israel reportedly hopes that it would be able to receive information on the captives in exchange for letting additional medical supplies into the Gaza Strip.