Families of Israeli Hostages Urge Netanyahu to Give Negotiators Full Mandate

Gaza, MINA – The families of Israeli hostages held in Gaza have called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to give a “full mandate” to the negotiating team working on a hostage swap deal with Palestinian factions in Gaza after he agreed to send a delegation to Doha to resume negotiations, Anadolu Agency reported.

Netanyahu’s office issued a statement on Thursday evening, confirming that “the prime minister has agreed to send a professional-level delegation to continue negotiations in Doha.”

In response, the families of the Israeli hostages expressed their support for Netanyahu’s decision to send a delegation to Qatar.

In a post on X, they said: “We must not miss this opportunity.”

The families added: “The 100 hostages held in Hamas tunnels in Gaza have no time to let these negotiations fail.”

“We demand that the Prime Minister give full authority to the negotiating team to reach an agreement that guarantees the return of all hostages,” they also said.

Meanwhile, Israel’s Public Broadcasting quoted an anonymous source on Thursday evening as saying that the Israeli delegation would present a “new proposal” during the negotiations to resolve a dispute over a list of surviving hostages that Tel Aviv is demanding from Hamas before resuming talks.

The source did not provide details about the new proposal but noted that “it will probably be discussed between the two sides in the next round of talks.”

Efforts led by the US, Egypt, and Qatar for a permanent ceasefire have so far failed, largely due to Netanyahu’s refusal to end the war.

The Israeli army continues to wage a genocidal war on Gaza that has killed more than 45,500 victims, mostly women and children since October 7, 2023, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire. (T/RE1/P2)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)