Doha
Qatar's Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said on Sunday (Nov 19) that the challenges to the Israel-Hamas war hostage deal were logistical. Addressing a press conference with European Union's (EU) foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, Prime Minister Al Thani said, "The challenges that remain in the negotiations are very minor compared to the bigger challenges, they are more logistical, they are more practical."
"The deal is going through ups and downs from time to time throughout the last few weeks. But I think that you know, I'm now more confident that we are close enough to reach a deal that can bring people safely back to their homes, whether they are the hostages on Hamas side or whatever the exchange that will happen, will take place from the Israeli side," he added.
Also read: As Israel-Hamas war rages on, militant group's top brass enjoys luxury far from conflict
Since the beginning of the conflict between Israel and Hamas on Oct 7, Qatar became a key intermediary over the fate of hundreds of Israeli hostages held by Hamas militants. Qatar has been brokering talks to free some of the 240 hostages in return for a temporary ceasefire, a mediation effort that has so far led to the release of four hostages.
"The deal is going through ups and downs from time to time throughout the last few weeks," Prime Minister Al Thani also told reporters.
US still pushing for hostage deal
On Saturday, the United States said that it was still working to secure a deal between Israel and Hamas after a reported tentative agreement to free women and children held hostage in Gaza in exchange for a pause in the war.
In a post on X, White House National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said, "We have not reached a deal yet, but we continue to work hard to get to a deal."
Earlier, an article by the Washington Post said that all parties in the conflict would halt combat operations for at least five days while some hostages were released in batches, with overhead surveillance monitoring movement to police the pause.
However, the Joe Biden administration denied any major breakthrough in the deal.
Also on Saturday, White House Coordinator for Middle East and North America Brett McGurk said there would be no significant pause in the conflict before hostages were released.
McGurk said that the release of a large number of hostages would result in "a significant pause... and a massive surge of humanitarian relief." He also said that the situation in the Gaza Strip was "horrific" and "intolerable".
Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing developments on the Israel-Palestine conflict after the Hamas attacks. However, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.