American Citizen Expected to be Among Hostages Released by Hamas
An American citizen is expected to be among a sixth group of hostages released by Hamas Wednesday, according to two sources familiar with the plan, amid an ongoing, temporary cease-fire between Israel and the militant group that governs Gaza.
The American was on a list of 10 hostages who were expected to be released Wednesday. An additional two Israeli hostages were transferred to the Red Cross Wednesday and later arrived in Israel, the Israeli military said.
Wednesday could be the final day of the humanitarian pause in fighting that started Friday and has coincided with the release of more than 80 hostages taken by Hamas in the militant group's Oct. 7 attack on Israel. Some 180 Palestinians have been released from Israeli prisons in return.
Talks, however, were being held in Doha to try to extend the pause even further, after both Israel and Hamas indicated they would be open to another deal. Under the current arrangement, three Palestinian prisoners are being released in the West Bank for every one hostage freed. The hostages released so far have only been women and children, but it is possible that men could be included in a future deal.
Qatari, Egyptian and U.S. mediators have been meeting in Doha to help negotiate a continued pause in hostilities and release of the hostages.
According to Nawaf Al-Thani, a former Qatari defense attaché to the United States and the former director of Qatari Defense Operations, Qatar is currently focused on expanding the truce and hopefully achieving a full suspension of violence in Gaza within the next 24 or 48 hours.
In the long term, Qatar would like to help negotiate a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Al-Thani stated that while it is not an immediate focus, Qatar would like to see a viable, secure state of Israel next to a viable, secure Palestinian state once the fighting ends and things cool down.
On Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that Israel's operations in Gaza would resume after the hostages are returned by Hamas. Netanyahu stated, "There is no situation in which we do not go back to fighting until the end."
