The first round of negotiations between the Hamas terrorist organization and mediators over the hostage deal was “characterized by positivity,” according to sources cited by the Qatari news network Al Jazeera.
During this first phase, the roadmap for the current round of talks in Sharm el-Sheikh was determined.
In addition, the sources noted that the Hamas delegation made it clear to the mediators that the continued attacks in the Gaza Strip pose a challenge to the release of the hostages.
The report also claimed that the Hamas delegation included two members who survived the assassination attempt in Qatar: Khalil al-Hayya and Zaher Jabarin.
Confidence by US officials ceasefire talks productive
US President Donald Trump also stated that there would be a Gaza deal soon, saying that tremendous progress on the issue has been made, while speaking at the Oval Office on Monday.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio also said that negotiations to free the hostages held by Hamas are “the closest we’ve come” to securing their release.
Rubio added that the deal is in two phases, with Hamas having accepted the first part, he told ABC’s This Week. The first part would see the hostages released and the IDF "pulling back to what's called the yellow line," he said. He then admitted that the second phase would be harder, which sees the Gaza Strip's future governance.
“That’s the part that’s going to be tougher,” he admitted, “but that’s what’s going to provide permanency to the end of the conflict.”
Reuters and The Media Line Staff contributed to this report.