The obstacle in the Doha hostage talks between Israel and Hamas remains the number and names of hostages to be released in the first round, an Israeli official tells The Times of Israel.
Israel does not believe it can reach a second round, says the official, and is therefore working to maximize the number of hostages released in the first round.
“We hope that it will bring momentum to another deal,” says the official, adding that Hamas “is not going to release everyone. They don’t have an interest in doing that. Unless Israel says it’s the end of the war, and Israel will not say that.”
Hamas still hasn’t released a list of the living hostages, says the official.
The security meeting being hosted by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this evening was supposed to take place tomorrow but was moved up, says the official. The focus is on Lebanon, but the hostage talks in Doha will be discussed.
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