Israel seeks list of surviving hostages for further ceasefire talks

Tel Aviv: The ongoing ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas have reached a deadlock. Now Israel has said that it will not participate in the talks until it gets the list of surviving hostages kidnapped by Hamas. The Israeli Prime Minister’s office told IANS that the message was conveyed to negotiators following a meeting of the War Cabinet chaired by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Israel’s intelligence and military intelligence agencies, Mossad and Shin Bet, have revealed that out of the 134 hostages in Hamas custody since October 7, 2023, 31 have died.
International negotiators including the US, Qatar and Egypt were hoping for a ceasefire by March 4. But, the Israeli government’s decision has hindered the talks. Israel and Hamas almost agreed to a six-week ceasefire and the release of 40 Israeli hostages. About 400 Palestinians lodged in Israeli jails are also to be released. On the other hand, Israel had insisted that those accused of serious crimes, including planning and carrying out mass murders, would not be released. The peace talks held in Paris and Cairo a week ago included Mossad chief David Barnia, Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, US CIA chief William Burns, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Al Thani and Egypt’s intelligence chief, Major General Abbas Kalim. participated. Talks were scheduled to take place in Doha on Saturday and Sunday, but Israeli representatives have informed that they will not participate unless a list of the names of the surviving hostages is handed over.