Israel is recalling its negotiating team from Qatar after talks with Hamas reached a “dead end.”
“Due to the dead end in negotiations, and following instructions from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Mossad head David Barnea ordered the negotiating team in Doha to return home,” a public statement released Saturday afternoon noted. “The Hamas terror group did not fulfill its obligations under the agreement that included releasing all the women and children that were on the list provided to Hamas that had authorized it.”
“The head of Mossad thanks the head of the CIA, Egypt’s intelligence minister, the prime minister of Qatar for their partnership and the tremendous mediation efforts that led to the release of 84 women and children from Gaza, in addition to 24 foreign nationals,” the statement, issued on behalf of Israel’s intelligence agency, added.
On Friday, fighting between Israel and Hamas resumed after talks broke down because the terror group failed to uphold its agreement to release all kidnapped women. Officials familiar with the truce talks told Axios that Hamas sought to pivot the discussions to the release of elderly men instead.
“According to an Israeli official, Hamas didn’t want to release the remaining female hostages because it doesn’t want them speaking publicly about what they have endured. Imagine what that means,” Aviva Klompas, a former speechwriter to the Israeli delegation of the United Nations, shared on X yesterday.
The Palestinian terror group’s culpability was echoed by Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who confirmed on Friday that the pause “came to an end because of Hamas,” which “began firing rockets before the pause ended,” adding that they “reneged on the commitments it made in terms of releasing certain hostages.”
Meanwhile, Hamas blamed Israel for the breakdown in talks and for its refusal “throughout the night to accept all offers to release other detainees.”
“Negotiations took place throughout the night to extend the truce, during which the movement offered to exchange prisoners and the elderly,” a statement from the group alleged. Hamas offered to hand over additional bodies of hostages purportedly killed from Israeli bombings.
As fighting restarted, negotiations were still active to secure the release of remaining Israeli and foreign hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, according to Qatar. “The State of Qatar is committed, along with its mediation partners, to continuing the efforts that led to the humanitarian pause, and will not hesitate to do everything necessary to return to calm,” the Qatari foreign ministry stated.
As of Friday, at least 110 hostages have been freed, with an estimated 137 remaining in the hands of Hamas.