Mahmoud al-Mardawi, a representative of the Hamas leadership abroad, has stated that the “ball is in Israel’s court” regarding the resumption of negotiations for hostage release. He emphasized that the only step Israel should take is a permanent ceasefire and complete withdrawal from Gaza.
Meanwhile, reports indicate that Mossad head David Barnea met with US CIA Director William Burns and Qatari Prime Minister Muhammad bin Abdulrahman Al Thani in Paris. During this meeting, it was decided that negotiations for hostage release held by Hamas would resume the following week. The negotiations will be based on new proposals from Egypt and Qatar, with active involvement from the United States.
However, despite these developments, Israel has expressed pessimism about reaching an agreement with Hamas. They have emphasized that Hamas does not seem flexible enough to find a resolution to the complex issues in the region. This ongoing situation highlights the challenges of finding a peaceful resolution to the complex issues in the region.
