Netanyahu recalls his delegation from Doha for consultations after Hamas's response

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office announced Thursday that his country's negotiating delegation had been recalled to the Qatari capital, Doha, for consultations after Hamas submitted its response to the mediators' latest proposal regarding a prisoner exchange and a ceasefire in Gaza.

Netanyahu's office said in a statement: "In light of Hamas's response this morning, it was decided that the negotiating team will return to Israel to continue consultations."

The statement added: "We appreciate the efforts of the mediators, Qatar and Egypt, and the efforts of (US Middle East envoy Steve) Witkoff, to achieve a breakthrough in the talks."

Following the statement, an Israeli official was quick to confirm that the move did not mean the collapse of negotiations.

The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation quoted the unnamed official as saying, "The talks have not collapsed, but rather are a coordinated step between all parties."

He continued, "There are crucial decisions to be made, and that's why the delegation has returned to continue consultations. The momentum remains positive."

Early Thursday morning, Hamas said in a brief statement that "the movement had just submitted its response and that of the Palestinian factions to the ceasefire proposal to our mediator brothers." Netanyahu's office announced that it had received Hamas's response via the mediators, noting that it was being studied.

Netanyahu's office, Hamas, and the mediators did not reveal the content of the response.

However, Channel 12 reported that Hamas demanded "the release of 200 Palestinians serving life sentences for killing Israelis, in exchange for the return of 10 living hostages, in addition to 2,000 other Palestinians arrested in Gaza after October 7, 2023."

She added, "The original proposal, which Israel accepted, included the release of 125 Palestinians serving life sentences, in addition to 1,200 other Palestinians arrested by the Israeli army in Gaza after October 7, 2023."

Tel Aviv estimates there are 50 Israeli prisoners in Gaza, 20 of whom are still alive. Meanwhile, more than 10,800 Palestinians are languishing in its prisons, suffering torture, starvation, and medical neglect, many of whom have died, according to Palestinian and Israeli human rights and media reports.

Since July 6, indirect negotiations have been underway in Doha between Hamas and Israel, mediated by Qatar and Egypt and supported by the United States, to conclude a prisoner exchange and ceasefire agreement.

Hamas has repeatedly affirmed its willingness to release Israeli prisoners "in one batch" in exchange for an end to the genocide and the withdrawal of the Israeli army from Gaza.

The Israeli opposition asserts that Netanyahu, who is wanted by international justice, is seeking partial deals that would allow the war to continue, thus ensuring his continued rule by accommodating the most extreme right-wing faction in his government.

Since October 7, 2023, Israel has been waging a war of genocide in Gaza, including killing, starvation, destruction, and forced displacement, ignoring all international calls and orders from the International Court of Justice to halt it.

The US-backed genocide left more than 203,000 Palestinians dead or wounded, most of them children and women, and more than 9,000 missing, in addition to hundreds of thousands of displaced persons and a famine that claimed the lives of many.

For decades, Israel has occupied Palestine and territories in Syria and Lebanon, and refuses to withdraw from these territories and establish an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, along the pre-1967 borders.