Israelis held hostage in Gaza - part 3

[StarbucksSmarterSister]

Part 3.

I hope they come home soon and there's no need for a part 4.

@stomachameleon I'm getting the impression that the upcoming US election and his optics are Biden's pressing concerns.

It's abit of a read but it sums up where things stand currently in terms of a deal and negotiations at this moment in time.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/pm-vetoes-further-cairo-negotiations-on-hostages-war-cabinet-reportedly-not-consulted/

Thanks @Parkingt111. After the Shalit deal for Sinwar and oct 7th, (in my opinion) negotiations that would include a release of convicted terrorist masterminds were never going to be accepted by Israel, I’m surprised it got as far as it did. I wonder if he is trying to force Hamas to change their terms by walking away?
maybe I’m delusional/ overly optimistic, but I couldn’t see the original deal going through as it stood, but I wonder maybe this will force more realistic proposals from Hamas, especially as there is so much pressure on all sides to do a deal and Sinwar is on the run?

Too right.

I meant, they should.

@EllaDisenchanted no I didn't think that Netanyahu would have agreed to that but I was expecting a counter proposal. From the article it did say that the Shin Bet, Mossad and the IDF put together another proposal but Netanyahu rejected it, I read in another times of Israel article that he sent the representatives to the meeting due to US pressure but he told them it was just to listen and not to negotiate.
I do think currently he has the upper hand, whereas in the last negotiations it seemed as if Hamas did so maybe you are right that he is holding out with the thoughts that Hamas will reconsider some of the demands.
From what I read elsewhere that from the meetings the party showing the most urgency right now in getting a deal agreed on is actually the US.

This article mentions a bit more detail about the deal put together by Mossad, Shin Bet and the IDF but without mentioning the actual terms.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/pm-dismissed-hostage-release-outline-put-together-by-mossad-shin-bet-idf-report/

Just seen:

"Kibbutz Nir Oz announces the death of resident Yair (Yaya) Yaakov, 59, whose body is held by Hamas in Gaza.
Yaakov was taken hostage, while injured, from his home in Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7 with his partner Meirav Tal, 54, who was released in late November as part of a temporary deal brokered by Qatar and the United States.
Yaakov’s sons, Or and Yagil, 16 and 12, were also taken captive from their mother’s nearby Nir Oz home and were freed on November 27 as part of the temporary deal."

https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/kibbutz-nir-oz-announces-death-of-hostage-yair-yaakov-59-in-hamas-captivity/

Just awful.

It's really hard at the moment, to find refuge just to be sad, amongst the vitriol and unashamed/ thinly disguised hate.
Am thinking of all the hostages tonight. X

Hamas has rejected Israeli ceasefire offer to free all Israeli hostages in exchange for the release of 1,500 convicted terrorists from Israeli prisons, according to Saudi media paper Al-Arabiya.

The Jerusalem Post has this:
”Hamas has rejected an Israeli offer to free all hostages taken into the Gaza Strip in exchange for the release of 1,500 Palestinians from Israeli prisons, Saudi media outlet Al-Arabiya reported on Thursday.”
https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-787205

It does not say convicted terrorists here, did Al-Arabiua have further details? Also, it does not mention a ceasefire. Was there one offered?

I haven't seen the original Al Arabiya report, sorry. Was quoting from someone else.

www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/idf-says-it-uncovered-meds-with-names-of-hostages-on-them-during-gaza-hospital-op/

As was assumed would happen....

Well, you'll be told any moment now how grateful the hostages should be for this and how this only shows the humanity of their capturers.

Of course the hostages shouldn't be grateful what a ridiculous thing to suggest, but a few medicine boxes with hostage names on them surely doesn't justify the catastrophic scenes we have seen over the past couple of days coming from that hospital?

So surprised to hear that medicines that were handed over to Hamas were found in a hospital. It's almost like Hamas are using hospitals and endangering thousands upon thousands of people. Weird. It's almost like they're completely evil

I thought the medicines were given to the Red Cross? Not Hamas?

To be handed over to Hamas by the Red Cross as the Red Cross weren't allowed anywhere near the hostages. So I guess you're right - I guess it's possible the Red Cross just didn't hand them over to anyone. It wouldn't really surprise me.

Sorry, I misremembered. It seems that the medicines were not given to Red Cross (that is the usual process).
”Netanyahu said he intentionally bypassed the Red Cross in helping arrange a shipment into Gaza of medicines for dozens of Israeli hostages with chronic illnesses who have been held by the militant group Hamas for months. There was no immediate word Thursday whether the medicines had gotten to the hostages.”
https://apnews.com/article/red-cross-gaza-israel-netanyahu-hamas-war-5c0fe9d104a679d96ecf1b49e914dc58

Re-reading it looks like Israel gave them to Qatar who was supposed to give them to Hamas!? Could they have been sat in the hospital the entire time?

“On Thursday, Netanyahu again took aim at the aid group. He boasted that he purposely bypassed it when working to arrange the transfer of medicines to Gaza, and instead used the services of Qatar, which has mediated between Israel and Hamas.
In explaining his decision, he recalled his previous encounter with the Red Cross president, alleging she refused at the time to help get medicine for hostages into Gaza. The Red Cross cannot pressure Hamas to let it see the hostages if the militant group refuses.
“So we bypassed her via the mediator — in this case the Qatari mediator who promised that he will make sure ... the medicine will reach every single hostage who needs it,” he said at a televised prime time news conference.”

Qatar?! They have a lot to answer for then.

I mean, Hamas have a lot to answer for. They're the ones who have kept hostages in a hospital, as confirmed by one of the released hostages who was there with her husband and children. Her husband is still somewhere in Gaza. Whether or not the hostages were still there in January I have no idea. But 30ish hostages were there at one point.

Obviously Hamas does too, but what was Qatar thinking guaranteeing they’d get the medication to the hostages?! Red Cross got over a hundred hostages out of Gaza, they can contact Hamas and Hamas will meet them for handovers.

Qatar has dropped food parcels from planes. I don’t think they even have the contacts on the ground to ensure medication gets where it should go? Or the history such that Hamas would meet them?

I just feel like Qatar sold false hope to Nethanyu and the hostages.

@SummerFeverVenice the Red Cross has refused to do that though.

Are you saying the medical intervention was done completely off Qatars own back and they didn't seek advice of Hamas at all? I think that's unlikely. That is certainly not how it was sold in the papers.

Most people on here are convinced of Qataris clout in negotiations.

https://allisrael.com/netanyahu-red-cross-refused-to-give-life-saving-medicine-to-hostages-in-gaza