Hamas describes truce, hostage talks in Qatar as ‘serious and positive’

Hamas said on Tuesday that talks in Qatar aimed at securing a truce and a hostage-prisoner exchange in Gaza were “serious and positive,” following the arrival of an Israeli delegation in Doha to meet with mediators.

“Hamas affirms that, in light of the serious and positive discussions taking place today in Doha under the auspices of our Qatari and Egyptian brothers, reaching an agreement for a cease-fire and a prisoner exchange is possible if the occupation ceases to impose new conditions,” the Palestinian resistance group said in a statement.

Israeli officials arrived in Doha on Monday for talks to bridge gaps between the parties, a source familiar with the discussions said, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the negotiations.

The meetings follow a visit by David Barnea, head of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency, to the Qatari capital on Wednesday, the source added.

Qatar, along with the United States and Egypt, has been involved in months of behind-the-scenes negotiations for a Gaza truce and the release of hostages.

Apart from a one-week pause in fighting late last year—during which scores of hostages held by Hamas were released in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned in Israel—successive negotiations have failed to end the conflict.

On Monday, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant suggested that Israeli negotiators were “closer than ever” to securing the release of hostages in Gaza since the November 2023 truce.

A senior Hamas official based in Doha echoed similar optimism on Monday, saying that negotiations were “closer than ever before” to a deal. However, he cautioned that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could still “disrupt the agreement as he has done in the past.”