Witkoff urges Hamas to accept ceasefire proposal
US Envoy Steve Witkoff on Thursday said that Hamas must accept the current ceasefire proposal to ensure the remaining hostages are returned.
"Although those who were murdered can never be replaced, this closure is absolutely critical and a minimum of human dignity."
The bodies of hostages Judith Weinstein Haggai and her husband, Gadi Haggai, were retrieved by the IDF in the early hours of Thursday morning in a special forces operation performed in collaboration with intelligence from the Shin Bet and the IDF, the military announced. They held American and Canadian citizenships.
The Mujahideen Brigades kidnapped and held the bodies of the two in Gaza after they were murdered on October 7 in Kibbutz Nir Oz. Their deaths were determined in December 2023.
IDF forces carried out the rescue operation under the Southern Command. The information that allowed their retrieval into Israeli territory was learned during an interrogation of a captured terrorist.
Negotiations between Israel and Hamas, mediated by Egypt, Qatar, and the US, are ongoing despite significant gaps, a source familiar with the matter told The Jerusalem Post.
Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, met with senior Hamas officials based in Doha. These officials emphasized that Hamas demands US guarantees that negotiations for a deal, including a ceasefire, will continue after the initial 60-day period, the source told the Post.
Efforts are being made to reach new understandings with Hamas before Eid al-Adha, which begins on Friday. In Doha, Bishara Bahbah, an envoy of Steve Witkoff, continued to engage with senior Hamas officials.
The mediators, Egypt, Qatar, and the US administration, are working to advance a deal or at least secure agreements between the parties despite the challenges.
Jerusalem Post Staff and Yonah Jeremy Bob contributed to this report.
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