Talks to Release Hostages , Break Down Ahead of Israel's , Ground Invasion of Gaza.
On October 27, negotiations to release some of
the 239 hostages held by Hamas came to a halt over
the militant group's demand for fuel deliveries to Gaza. .
NBC reports that a former U.S. official said that
without those fuel deliveries, Hamas declined
to guarantee the release of foreign captives.
The former U.S. official, an Israeli official and a diplomat, told NBC that the talks stalled prior to Israel's
deployment of troops in Gaza later on October 27.
Talks were going very well
on Thursday, and negotiators
were hopeful a deal could be
reached over the weekend, Anonymous diplomat, statement via NBC.
But differences emerged
early Friday, which led
to talks stalling, Anonymous diplomat, statement via NBC.
Talks to release the hostages have been ongoing since
October 7, when Hamas launched a surprise attack
that claimed the lives of over 1,000 Israeli civilians.
NBC reports that an estimated half of the
239 hostages are believed to come from
as many as 25 foreign countries, .
including 54 people from Thailand,
15 from Argentina, 12 from the U.S.,
12 from Germany, six from France and six from Russia.
After Israel's ground operations were launched, Hamas’
leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, released a statement
claiming the group was willing to continue negotiations.
We are ready for an immediate
exchange deal that includes
the release of all prisoners
in the prisons of the Zionist
enemy, in exchange for the
release of all prisoners
with the resistance, Yahya Sinwar, Hamas' leader in Gaza, statement via NBC.
We are ready for an immediate
exchange deal that includes
the release of all prisoners
in the prisons of the Zionist
enemy, in exchange for the
release of all prisoners
with the resistance, Yahya Sinwar, Hamas' leader in Gaza, statement via NBC