Demonstrators held up placards and waved flags during an anti-government protest calling for the release of Israelis held hostage by Palestinian militants in Gaza since the October 2023 attacks, in Tel Aviv on December 7, 2024. — AFP file
Israel is now more hopeful about a possible hostage deal in Gaza, according to Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, who spoke on Monday. Reports suggest that Hamas has requested lists of all hostages still held by militant groups in the Palestinian territory. Saar mentioned that indirect negotiations are ongoing regarding the return of around 100 hostages, and while it is still premature to be certain, the outlook has improved. "We can be more optimistic than before but we are not there yet. I hope we will be there," Saar stated at a press conference in Jerusalem, emphasizing Israel's stance that the hostages must be returned before any ceasefire agreement is considered. "There will not be a ceasefire in Gaza without a hostage deal," he added.
A Palestinian official familiar with the mediation efforts revealed that Hamas has asked other factions in Gaza to compile lists of Israeli and foreign hostages in their possession, whether they are alive or deceased. The official did not provide further details on the mediation process but mentioned that the mediators, supported by the United States, have intensified their contacts with both Israel and Hamas. Hamas officials declined to comment immediately. A representative of a militant group allied with Hamas expressed optimism that negotiations could result in a deal.
Hamas militants took over 250 hostages back to Gaza following their attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which resulted in the deaths of approximately 1,200 people, according to Israeli records. Gaza health authorities report that over 44,000 Palestinians have been killed in the subsequent Israeli offensive on Gaza. Some families of the hostages expressed cautious optimism after meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday. Netanyahu informed them that the time had come for a hostage deal, according to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum. Both sides accuse each other of obstructing a deal, but Saar noted that Hamas' previous stance "might have shifted in recent times." "So if both parties are interested in an agreement, there is a better chance it will be achieved," he concluded.
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