Berliner Boersenzeitung - Israel team discusses hostages at truce talks dogged by divisions

EUR -
AED 4.007398
AFN 76.991326
ALL 99.247491
AMD 426.218844
ANG 1.965344
AOA 998.390733
ARS 1164.930737
AUD 1.712474
AWG 1.966775
AZN 1.882987
BAM 1.956342
BBD 2.20181
BDT 132.496701
BGN 1.956878
BHD 0.411137
BIF 3231.495103
BMD 1.091137
BND 1.452102
BOB 7.535087
BRL 6.20377
BSD 1.090502
BTN 94.684227
BWP 14.827107
BYN 3.568789
BYR 21386.289861
BZD 2.190507
CAD 1.560735
CDF 3137.019646
CHF 0.961663
CLF 0.026336
CLP 1010.629938
CNY 7.892417
CNH 7.894176
COP 4444.474754
CRC 543.950671
CUC 1.091137
CUP 28.915137
CVE 110.244009
CZK 25.062332
DJF 194.19379
DKK 7.460509
DOP 68.62901
DZD 145.678855
EGP 55.122728
ERN 16.367059
ETB 143.019515
FJD 2.48845
FKP 0.840381
GBP 0.840907
GEL 3.038801
GGP 0.840381
GHS 16.909308
GIP 0.840381
GMD 78.653687
GNF 9434.179944
GTQ 8.410022
GYD 228.354609
HKD 8.477836
HNL 27.899963
HRK 7.535613
HTG 143.23259
HUF 397.357814
IDR 17851.232608
ILS 3.997
IMP 0.840381
INR 94.606708
IQD 1428.293362
IRR 45933.882192
ISK 145.96633
JEP 0.840381
JMD 170.638794
JOD 0.773642
JPY 163.413046
KES 141.233658
KGS 95.696133
KHR 4364.767242
KMF 491.472006
KPW 981.996926
KRW 1576.712519
KWD 0.335988
KYD 0.90744
KZT 544.160564
LAK 23633.209035
LBP 97709.405045
LKR 323.605779
LRD 218.119231
LSL 19.729795
LTL 3.221844
LVL 0.660018
LYD 5.249153
MAD 10.533291
MDL 19.81805
MGA 5079.170192
MKD 61.548985
MMK 2289.906802
MNT 3790.875533
MOP 8.732334
MRU 43.265193
MUR 49.132389
MVR 16.84859
MWK 1891.124354
MXN 21.805886
MYR 4.851959
MZN 69.705559
NAD 19.729795
NGN 1681.923648
NIO 40.129084
NOK 11.514113
NPR 151.441687
NZD 1.875676
OMR 0.420089
PAB 1.091137
PEN 3.98547
PGK 4.487158
PHP 62.455912
PKR 305.341874
PLN 4.180133
PYG 8671.498452
QAR 3.971951
RON 4.973157
RSD 117.086039
RUB 91.541546
RWF 1547.667585
SAR 4.091346
SBD 9.299606
SCR 15.677774
SDG 655.708307
SEK 11.029329
SGD 1.451299
SHP 0.857463
SLE 24.905219
SLL 22880.603489
SOS 622.94907
SRD 39.927105
STD 22584.337825
SVC 9.547442
SYP 14186.887175
SZL 19.729795
THB 36.650533
TJS 11.929421
TMT 3.815311
TND 3.362157
TOP 2.627768
TRY 40.006749
TTD 7.409017
TWD 35.969627
TZS 2900.114466
UAH 45.282727
UGX 4001.493379
USD 1.091137
UYU 46.51614
UZS 14132.63203
VES 71.180056
VND 27856.121564
VUV 134.45369
WST 3.033814
XAF 655.296008
XAG 0.032146
XAU 0.000362
XCD 2.954063
XDR 0.819116
XOF 655.296008
XPF 119.331742
YER 269.280661
ZAR 19.754827
ZMK 9821.554102
ZMW 31.245162
ZWL 351.345745
  • RIO

    0.4300

    63.47

    +0.68%

  • BTI

    0.4800

    41.84

    +1.15%

  • CMSC

    0.1100

    23.33

    +0.47%

  • SCS

    0.0200

    11.01

    +0.18%

  • JRI

    0.1700

    13

    +1.31%

  • BCC

    0.6500

    100

    +0.65%

  • BCE

    0.2300

    23.7

    +0.97%

  • BP

    0.3700

    33.76

    +1.1%

  • CMSD

    0.1900

    23.54

    +0.81%

  • NGG

    0.9300

    64.14

    +1.45%

  • RBGPF

    66.7800

    66.78

    +100%

  • RYCEF

    -0.0100

    10.44

    -0.1%

  • GSK

    0.7600

    40.25

    +1.89%

  • RELX

    0.6700

    49.6

    +1.35%

  • VOD

    0.3100

    9.86

    +3.14%

  • AZN

    -0.2300

    77.37

    -0.3%

Israel team discusses hostages at truce talks dogged by divisions

Israel team discusses hostages at truce talks dogged by divisions

Israel said its negotiating team was discussing the hostage issue with Egyptian mediators on Sunday, as deep divisions persist between Israel and Hamas over the terms of a fragile ceasefire in Gaza.

Text size:

Mediated by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States, the initial phase of the ceasefire took effect on January 19, largely halting more than 15 months of fighting in Gaza triggered by Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.

That phase ended in early March, and though both sides have since refrained from all-out war, they have been unable to agree on the next stage of the ceasefire in the Palestinian territory.

The office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement that an Israeli negotiating team was "currently meeting in Egypt with senior Egyptian officials to discuss the issue of hostages".

Late on Saturday, Netanyahu had instructed Israeli negotiators to continue the indirect talks on the ceasefire.

He directed them to base the negotiations on what his office said was a proposal by US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff that calls for the "immediate release of 11 living hostages and half of the deceased hostages".

However, Witkoff told CNN on Sunday he had offered a "bridge proposal" that would see five living hostages, including Israeli-American Edan Alexander, released in return for freeing a "substantial amount of Palestinian prisoners" from Israel jails.

"I thought the proposal was compelling," Witkoff said.

Hamas on Friday had said it was ready to free Alexander and the remains of four others, who an official of the movement described as Israeli-Americans.

A Hamas official, however, said its delegation "held fruitful discussions with our Egyptian brothers, focusing on ways to advance the implementation of the ceasefire agreement in light of Hamas's acceptance of the updated American proposal," he said.

The official said on condition of anonymity, as he was not authorised to speak publicly on the Gaza truce, that Hamas had asked mediators "to compel the occupation (Israel) to implement the humanitarian protocol, immediately allow humanitarian aid into Gaza Strip, and begin the second phase of negotiations."

- Deadlock -

During the first phase of the truce agreement, Hamas released 33 hostages, including eight deceased, and Israel freed around 1,800 Palestinian detainees.

Since then, Hamas has consistently demanded negotiations for the second phase.

Former US president Joe Biden had outlined a second phase involving the release of remaining living hostages, the withdrawal of all Israeli forces left in Gaza and establishment of a lasting ceasefire.

Israel, however, seeks to extend the first phase until mid-April, insisting that any transition to the second phase must include "the total demilitarisation" of Gaza and the removal of Hamas, which has controlled the territory since 2007.

The talks are now at an impasse, with both sides sticking to their positions and accusing each other of obstructing progress.

Israel has cut aid and electricity to the territory during the talks deadlock.

"It's so hard for me to think about what they're (hostages) going through right now because I know that feeling," freed Israeli captive Omer Shem Tov said in a newly released video.

"It's a terrible feeling and it has to stop as soon as possible."

Gaza resident Mohammad Hallas, 41, said Hamas had no choice but to agree to release the hostages.

"The fastest way for Hamas to reach a solution is to free the prisoners," Hallas told AFP.

"The situation in Gaza is catastrophic and worsens every day. Everything is in Israel's hands, and Hamas only has the prisoners as a bargaining chip."

The October 7 attack resulted in 1,218 deaths on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, while Israel's retaliatory response in Gaza has killed at least 48,572 people, also mostly civilians, according to data from both sides.

- Air strikes -

Despite the fragile truce still holding, near-daily Israeli air strikes on Gaza continue.

On Sunday, Israel conducted an air strike targeting a "terrorist who was operating near IDF troops and attempting to plant explosive devices" in central Gaza, the military said.

The latest strike comes a day after strikes in north Gaza's Beit Lahia killed nine people, including four Palestinian journalists, said the territory's civil defence agency, in the deadliest attack on a single site since January 19.

Hamas condemned the attack as "a horrible massacre" and "a blatant violation of the ceasefire".

The Israeli military said it hit "a terrorist cell", adding that militants were operating a drone intended to carry out "terrorist attacks" against its troops.

(K.Müller--BBZ)