Qatar to captives' families: Arouri killing impacted release deal
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The recent assassination of senior Hamas official Saleh al-Arouri in Beirut has complicated efforts to secure a new captives-prisoners exchange, as confirmed by both Qatari and Israeli sources.
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Families of Israeli captives held by the Resistance in Gaza hold their photos and shout slogans during a rally calling for their release, in "Tel Aviv", "Israel", Saturday, December 30, 2023. (AP)
The Qatari Prime Minister and officials informed the families of six US-Israeli captives in Doha that the recent assassination of senior Hamas official Saleh al-Arouri in Beirut has significantly complicated efforts to secure a new deal, as per Axios. Both a Qatari official and an Israeli source confirmed this information.
During Saturday's meeting, Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani hosted Israeli captives' families in Doha for the first time. His message underscores the increasing complexity of securing a new captive-prisoner deal amidst escalating regional tensions.
Qatar and Egypt are attempting to restart indirect negotiations between the Israeli occupation and the Palestinian Resistance, aiming to negotiate a new agreement to secure the release of at least 40 captives in exchange for a temporary ceasefire in Gaza and the release of Palestinian prisoners.
IOF forces must withdraw from Gaza
A week earlier, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad Movement and Hamas issued a joint response to the Egyptian proposal regarding an indirect prisoner-captive exchange deal between the Israeli occupation entity and the Resistance in Gaza, a senior PIJ official told Al Mayadeen on January 2.
The official pointed out that the Resistance conditioned in the first clause of its presented document a ceasefire and a complete withdrawal of occupation forces from Gaza, along with a reconstruction plan for the Strip guaranteed by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).
On Tuesday, an Israeli airstrike in the southern suburb of Beirut targeted and killed Hamas' Saleh al-Arouri, leading Lebanon's Resistance, Hezbollah, to pledge retaliation for "Israel" violating the rules of engagement and targeting Beirut.
New challenges follow al-Arouri's assassination
The Qatari Prime Minister explained to the families of captives the new challenges that came after the assassination of al-Arouri, telling Axios that "it is more difficult to talk to Hamas after what happened in Beirut."
The sources said the Qatari prime minister told the group the current negotiations are very complex and briefed them on the challenges Doha is facing on both sides in securing a new deal.
Read next: 'Israel' killed al-Arouri to mitigate defeat in Gaza: Qaani to Haniyeh
"We have engaged directly with the hostages' families to share as much information as possible and to assure them that Qatar is committed to using every resource to secure their release," the official said.
"We are using every possible channel and collaborating closely with our counterparts in the US and Israel…but Qatar is a mediator. It does not control Hamas," the official stressed, adding that it's becoming "increasingly difficult" to preserve the channels of communication it has with Hamas due to the "escalation of bombardment in Gaza and elsewhere, which candidly complicates the hostage negotiations."
