U.S. Turns to Qatar for Hamas Hostages, Facing Risky Options in Gaza
Allo Trends Morning Breaking News
2023-10-18
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News Article :-
In the dense warrens of Gaza, Hamas is believed to hold at least 199 people hostage, guarded by gunmen and booby traps, likely scattered and hidden from any would-be rescuers as Israel readies a ground invasion.
Israeli and U.S. commandos have pulled off extraordinary hostage rescues before. But the chaotic environment of Gaza, which is descending into a humanitarian crisis and the base where Hamas launched devastating attacks on Israel this month, has made such a mission unlikely because of the dangers to hostages and soldiers alike.
That has left desperate, complex diplomacy — led by the United States and Qatar, a tiny nation with extensive ties to militant groups — as the best option to save hostages in the eyes of many current and former officials.
In the talks so far, Qatar is acting as a mediator between Hamas and officials from the United States, which like Israel and the European Union considers Hamas a terrorist group. Adding even more complexity to the talks, people from more than 30 countries are among the hostages.
If Hamas thought taking hostages was a hedge against an Israeli invasion, the group might have misplayed its hand. Although Western and U.S. officials have urged restraint to limit the danger to hostages and Gazan civilians, Israeli leaders have vowed to destroy Hamas, amassing troops and tanks on the border and calling up about 360,000 reservists.
“To sacrifice hostages and soldiers seems to be the psychology today,” said Gershon Baskin, who negotiated the release of the Israeli soldier Gilad Schalit in 2011 after more than five years in captivity. “No one is thinking about the day after: What do you do with Gaza?”
Almost immediately after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, which killed more than 1,400 people, Qatar joined the hostage negotiations, drawing on its experience in mediating the release of people around the world.
This week, with Qatar acting as a mediator at Ukraine’s request, Russia agreed to repatriate four Ukrainian children. Qatar also recently had a quiet role in freeing two American hostages in Africa, including a nun and an aid worker, according to one former U.S. official with knowledge of the diplomatic efforts who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the negotiations. In 2014, Qatar worked behind the scenes to win the release of an American journalist held by a Qaeda-affiliated group in Syria.
The release of that journalist was a bright spot during a grim time, in which members of the Islamic State kidnapped about two dozen Western hostages, some of whom were ultimately beheaded, including another journalist, James Foley.
At one point, American commandos tried to free the hostages at a prison in Raqqa, Syria, but by the time they descended on the city, the captives had been moved.
Several former U.S. officials and analysts said that while that mission was extremely dangerous, it would not compare
News Article :-
In the dense warrens of Gaza, Hamas is believed to hold at least 199 people hostage, guarded by gunmen and booby traps, likely scattered and hidden from any would-be rescuers as Israel readies a ground invasion.
Israeli and U.S. commandos have pulled off extraordinary hostage rescues before. But the chaotic environment of Gaza, which is descending into a humanitarian crisis and the base where Hamas launched devastating attacks on Israel this month, has made such a mission unlikely because of the dangers to hostages and soldiers alike.
That has left desperate, complex diplomacy — led by the United States and Qatar, a tiny nation with extensive ties to militant groups — as the best option to save hostages in the eyes of many current and former officials.
In the talks so far, Qatar is acting as a mediator between Hamas and officials from the United States, which like Israel and the European Union considers Hamas a terrorist group. Adding even more complexity to the talks, people from more than 30 countries are among the hostages.
If Hamas thought taking hostages was a hedge against an Israeli invasion, the group might have misplayed its hand. Although Western and U.S. officials have urged restraint to limit the danger to hostages and Gazan civilians, Israeli leaders have vowed to destroy Hamas, amassing troops and tanks on the border and calling up about 360,000 reservists.
“To sacrifice hostages and soldiers seems to be the psychology today,” said Gershon Baskin, who negotiated the release of the Israeli soldier Gilad Schalit in 2011 after more than five years in captivity. “No one is thinking about the day after: What do you do with Gaza?”
Almost immediately after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, which killed more than 1,400 people, Qatar joined the hostage negotiations, drawing on its experience in mediating the release of people around the world.
This week, with Qatar acting as a mediator at Ukraine’s request, Russia agreed to repatriate four Ukrainian children. Qatar also recently had a quiet role in freeing two American hostages in Africa, including a nun and an aid worker, according to one former U.S. official with knowledge of the diplomatic efforts who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the negotiations. In 2014, Qatar worked behind the scenes to win the release of an American journalist held by a Qaeda-affiliated group in Syria.
The release of that journalist was a bright spot during a grim time, in which members of the Islamic State kidnapped about two dozen Western hostages, some of whom were ultimately beheaded, including another journalist, James Foley.
At one point, American commandos tried to free the hostages at a prison in Raqqa, Syria, but by the time they descended on the city, the captives had been moved.
Several former U.S. officials and analysts said that while that mission was extremely dangerous, it would not compare
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