Saudi report claims progress in Doha hostage-ceasefire talks

Saudi-based news outlet al-Arabiya reports that Gaza ceasefire and hostage release talks in Qatar saw progress over the weekend, with unnamed sources telling the station that the sides may be able to clinch agreements on all remaining outstanding issues as early as this week.

The report, which is also carried in Saudi Arabia’s al-Hadath news outlet, claims that the Hamas terror group showed flexibility on Israeli demands regarding hostages held in the Strip for nearly 15 months.

Israel dispatched a mid-level team to Doha for talks on Friday, but a senior Israeli official told Axios that Israel and Hamas remained at an impasse over almost all topics being negotiated, including the Israel Defense Forces’ presence in the Netzarim and Philadelphi corridors, the Israeli demand to deport some Palestinian security prisoners released in the deal, the frequency at which hostages will be released, and the start date of negotiations over the deal’s second stage.

One of the main sticking points is Hamas’s refusal to hand over a list of hostages it would release in the deal’s first stage. This stage is supposed to see the release of women, men over the age of 50, and men under the age of 50 in serious medical condition.

The Israeli official said that the negotiations were advancing very slowly but also expressed optimism that talks could succeed.

“All remaining gaps can be bridged. We want to do this and reach a deal, and we believe the other side wants to as well,” the Israeli official said.

The officials told Axios there is “cautious optimism” that a deal could be reached in the coming weeks, particularly because of increased pressure on Hamas from Qatari and Egyptian mediators, along with threats from Trump, who has warned there will be “all hell to pay” if the hostages are not released by his inauguration.