Report: Israeli war cabinet tells hostage negotiators to keep trying

DPA
·1 min read
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Hamas and Islamic Jihad fighters hand over newly released hostages to the Red Cross in Rafah, as part of a hostages-prisoners swap deal between Hamas and Israel. Israel's war cabinet has instructed the negotiating team to continue efforts to secure the release of the hostages, Israeli media reported early on Thursday morning, citing a statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office. Stringer/dpa
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Israel's war cabinet has instructed the negotiating team to continue efforts to secure the release of the hostages, Israeli media reported early on Thursday morning, citing a statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office.

The war cabinet had previously met for four hours.

As Israel and the Palestinian militant organization Hamas are not negotiating directly with each other, Egypt, Qatar and the US are acting as mediators in the Gaza war.

The most recent round of negotiations ended without results. The talks have been stuck ever since.

In unprecedented attacks by Hamas and other extremist groups in the Israeli border area on October 7 last year, around 1,200 people were killed and more than 200 people were taken hostage in Gaza.

The attacks triggered Israel's military offensive in the coastal region, in which more than 35,700 people have been killed so far, according to the Gaza health authority. Most of the victims are women and children.

The tally, which is almost impossible to verify independently, is regarded as largely credible by the UN and human rights organizations.