Israel has mentioned that greater than 100 hostages had been nonetheless being held captive in Gaza by Hamas and different militant teams after final month’s hostages-for-prisoners trade.
Ismail Haniyeh, the highest political chief of Hamas, made a uncommon go to to Cairo on Wednesday to debate the struggle with mediators, an indication that the 2 sides may be inching towards a brand new settlement after the collapse of a weeklong cease-fire earlier this month.
Here’s what we all know in regards to the captives.
Who’re the remaining hostages?
Of the 129 people who Israel says are nonetheless be held hostage, 21 are believed to be useless. Israel counts the useless in its whole hostage figures.
A lot of the remaining hostages are males, however the prime minister’s workplace mentioned 19 girls and two youngsters had been nonetheless believed to be held. They embrace Shiri Bibas, 32 and her two sons, Ariel Bibas, 4; and Kfir Bibas, lower than a 12 months previous. Hamas’s armed wing, the Al Qassam Brigades, claimed the three had been killed in Israeli airstrikes, however Israel has not confirmed that.
All however 11 of the present hostages are Israeli or twin nationals with Israeli citizenship — the others are Thai, Nepalese, Tanzanian and one is a twin French and Mexican citizen.
Who has been launched?
Hamas has launched hostages in a number of batches. In whole, 110 have come dwelling alive, whereas 11 our bodies have been recovered, in keeping with the Israeli prime minister’s workplace, together with three males who had been mistakenly shot by the Israeli navy on Friday. A lot of the launched hostages have been Israeli residents.
In trade, Israel has launched 240 Palestinians that it had imprisoned or detained.
Why did the talks stall?
Israel resumed its bombardment of the Gaza Strip on Dec. 1 after each side failed to succeed in an settlement over the remaining hostages.
On Wednesday, negotiators appeared to be inching nearer to a brand new settlement. Mr. Haniyeh, the Hamas chief, arrived in Cairo to carry talks with Egyptian officers a few doable truce. Israel and Hamas had been making an attempt, by way of mediators from Qatar and Egypt, to debate a brand new cease-fire deal that would come with the discharge of extra hostages, according to an official familiar with the talks. An Israeli official mentioned preliminary steps had been made within the negotiations, however emphasised there was no deal but.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces rising stress from overseas to decelerate the tempo of the combating and even set up an enduring cease-fire in Gaza quickly. On the identical time, the households of Israelis held hostage have made more and more determined pleas for him to succeed in a deal to convey their family members dwelling.
Almost 20,000 Palestinians have been killed, in keeping with the Gaza well being ministry, which doesn’t distinguish between civilians and combatants however has mentioned that 70 p.c of the useless are girls and youngsters.
The US, which provides Israel billions of {dollars} in navy support yearly, maintains that it helps Israel’s proper to defend itself, however is more and more sharpening its tone, urging Mr. Netanyahu to do all the pieces he can to guard civilian life.
What are the households of the remaining hostages saying?
Lots of the households of hostages have been protesting to demand a deal to free the hostages, even when meaning a cease-fire or liberating Palestinian prisoners. Weekly demonstrations close to the principle navy headquarters in Tel Aviv frequently draw a crowd of hundreds. Final month, hundreds of demonstrators marched for 5 days, from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, to demand that Mr. Netanyahu do no matter it takes to convey their kin dwelling.
The mistaken capturing deaths of the three hostages on Friday infected tensions between the households and the federal government. Avi Shamriz, the daddy of one of many three males, told NBC News that Mr. Netanyahu’s management had “murdered my son twice.” Studies that the Israeli authorities had obtained details about Hamas’s plans to assault greater than a 12 months earlier had been seen as a big intelligence failure.
On Wednesday, Israel’s authorities press workplace issued a press release from the mom of one of many three hostages who was mistakenly killed, Yotam Haim. Iris Haim mentioned that, “as painful as it’s to say, and as unhappy as it’s” the capturing of her son was “doubtless the precise factor to do at that second.”
“None of us are judging you or indignant with you,” she mentioned, immediately addressing the battalion concerned within the capturing. “Not me; not my husband, Raviv; not my daughter, Noya; not Yotam, of blessed reminiscence; and never Tuval, Yotam’s brother.”
On Tuesday, Mr. Netanyahu met with representatives of greater than a dozen households of the hostages in Tel Aviv, the place he vowed to work to convey all of them dwelling.
“We’re dedicated, I’m personally dedicated, to the discharge of all of the hostages,” Mr. Netanyahu mentioned, in keeping with a press release despatched by his workplace. “Rescuing them is a supreme activity.”