Today: 8 May 2025
28 October 2023
3 mins read

GAZA WAR: Qatar Makes ‘Breakthrough’ in Hostage Talks

However, some issues remain to be sorted out, even as 27 leaders of European Union called for “humanitarian pauses for aid supplies to flow”, which was short of calling for an immediate ceasefire in the Middle East

 Qatar has made “significant progress” on hostage negotiations with Hamas but still some issues remain to be sorted out, even as 27 leaders of European Union called for “humanitarian pauses for aid supplies to flow”, which was short of calling for an immediate ceasefire in the Middle East, reports said.

“There has been ‘significant progress’ on negotiations to release hostages held by Hamas but there are issues still remaining,” diplomatic sources familiar with the negotiations were quoted by CNN as saying.

“Negotiations are going very well. We have a breakthrough,” the source said. “There are issues still remaining, but talks are ongoing, and we remain hopeful.”

Qatar has helped US in the release of four hostages so far from Hamas captivity almost fortnight after they were kidnapped by the Hamas militants since their lightning strike from Gaza on October 7.

US Assistant Secretary of State for Near East Affairs Barbara Leaf is now in Doha for meetings with Qatar’s leadership, CNN quoted informed sources. On the status of the hostage negotiations, Israel’s Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said: “Every channel is a possible channel.

“One thing should be clear — we have a goal and I trust the State of Israel and the IDF … and we’ll keep doing every effort to bring the hostages and the missing back.”  

A Western official briefed on the hostage negotiations said there is still “optimism around a possible release, but there is also recognition that the clock is ticking”. The official indicated talks had made progress but an Israeli ground invasion of Gaza will not be delayed much longer.

Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani

Meanwhile, the leaders of the 27 European Union member states had met in Brussels on Thursday and called for “humanitarian corridors and pauses for humanitarian needs.” The call for humanitarian “pauses” stops short of calling for a ceasefire, ruled out earlier by several European leaders. 

Meanwhile, France called for hundreds of aid trucks daily for Gaza as soon as possible following the recent visit of its President Emmanuelle Macron to Israel. French Foreign and European Affairs Minister Catherine Colonna followed up on Macron’s visit saying: “Aid must be allowed into Gaza as soon as possible with hundreds of trucks needed every day.”

“It is absolutely necessary to get aid into Gaza in a durable manner as soon as possible, in significantly greater volumes. Inspections on aid trucks were a real obstacle to the flow of needed supplies,” she told French radio station RTL.

The French government announced a flight of 50 tons of aid for Gaza, which includes medicines, food aid and tents, a French Foreign Ministry source said on Friday, adding that the population of Gaza has “enormous and growing needs”.

The lack of a guarantee of French aid being allowed into Gaza is the largest obstacle facing aid operations, the source said, adding there is “no special treatment for French aid”.

This material aid is in addition to 20 million euros ($21.1 million) of French financial aid, split between multilateral international organizations and international NGOs already working in Gaza, reports said.  

ALSO READ: Palestine Urges World For Immediate Intervention

Previous Story

Palestine Urges World For Immediate Intervention

Next Story

Party Problems Cast Shadow on Nawaz’s 4th Term

Latest from -Top News

India Strikes Terror Bases in Pakistan

‘Justice is served’, says Indian Army as Operation Sindoor unfolds In a significant military response to the deadly terror attack in Pahalgam that claimed 26 civilian lives, the Indian Army on Wednesday

UAE Reopens Doors to Lebanon

The prime minister expressed Lebanon’s “utmost gratitude and appreciation to the UAE” and President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan….reports Asian Lite News Lebanon welcomed the decision by the United Arab Emirates

SYRIA RAIDS: Arab League Slams Israel

The Arab League condemned the airstrikes and called on the international community and the United Nations to confront what it described as “repeated violations committed by Israel against the Syrian state.” The

India Rises, Africa Watches 

While struggling economies in Africa engulf themselves in ideological battles and take sides in the tariff battles, nations like India are placing their national interest first and navigating Global Trade challenges in

WAVES 2025: Jaishankar Advocates Cultural Pluralism

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar delivered a powerful address at the WAVES 2025 Global Media Dialogue, highlighting the significance of cultural pluralism in shaping global change. Speaking on the second day of
Go toTop

Don't Miss

Global Threads: Unravelling the Link Between Iowa, Rwanda, Gaza, Ukraine, and Ayodhya

The search for solutions demands not only introspection but also

‘Gaza war a betrayal of humanity’

The war began on October 7 with an unprecedented attack