Herzog Says Israel Ready to Pause Fight in Bid for Hostages

(Bloomberg) -- Israeli President Isaac Herzog said his country is prepared to agree to a second humanitarian pause in fighting in exchange for the return of more hostages held by Hamas.

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Hamas, the Islamic militant group considered a terrorist organization by the US and European Union, still holds about 129 of the initial 240 or more people it abducted from Israel during its deadly attack on Oct. 7.

“I can reiterate the fact that Israel is ready for another humanitarian pause and additional humanitarian aid in order to enable the release of hostages,” Herzog said Tuesday to a group of ambassadors. “The responsibility lies fully with Sinwar and the leadership of Hamas,” he said, referring to the group’s leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar.

Israel’s offer calls for a one-week pause in fighting during which Hamas would free about 40 hostages, all women, men over the age of 60 and sick or seriously wounded people, Axios reported, citing three people it didn’t identify. In exchange, Israel would consider freeing Palestinian prisoners accused of more serious attacks against Israel than those released during a week-long cease-fire that ended in early December, Axios said.

The Israeli proposal was made through Qatari mediators by David Barnea, the head of the country’s Mossad spy agency.

Barnea met Qatar’s prime minister, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, and William Burns, the head of the Central Intelligence Agency, in Warsaw on Monday to discuss the proposals for the hostages and pause in fighting, according to an official with knowledge of the matter. It was the first meeting between the three since the last truce started in November.

Both the official and Israeli media say no deal is expected imminently.

Qatar has played a pivotal role since the war started, acting as the main go-between for Israel’s negotiations with Hamas, many of whose political leaders are based in Doha.

Hamas’s senior political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, who’s based in Qatar, traveled Wednesday to Cairo, where he will hold discussions with Egyptian officials about developments in Gaza, the organization said in on Telegram in Arabic.

The Israeli news site Ynet said that a Islamic Jihad leader, Ziad al Nakhaleh, was also expected in Cairo.

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Hamas separately said it’s “categorically rejecting” negotiations over prisoner exchanges while Israel’s attack on Gaza is ongoing. The group said, however, it was willing to engage with “any initiative that contributes to ending the aggression on our people, and opening the crossings to bring in aid.”

Almost 19,500 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since Oct. 7, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in the enclave. There’s also been widespread destruction of homes and other infrastructure. Israel says 1,200 people were left dead after the initial incursion by Hamas fighters, and has vowed to destroy the group to avoid a repeat attack.

Israel has been pressurized by the US, its main ally, to do more to limit civilian deaths, while France, Germany and the UK all called for a cease-fire over the weekend.

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The latest comments from Herzog and Hamas came amid reports the US and others were trying to restart talks on another pause in fighting. The first cease-fire, which included daily exchanges of hostages taken by Hamas for prisoners held by Israel, ended on Dec. 1.

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Fighting restarted, Israel said, because Hamas reneged on an agreement to return all women and children.

The Wall Street Journal reported that CIA Director William Burns traveled to Warsaw this week to meet his Israeli counterpart and the Qatari prime minister to discuss how to renew discussions.

--With assistance from Fadwa Hodali.

(Updates with Hamas leader arriving in Egypt.)

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