Turkey has informed mediators managing the hostage talks that it has established contact with two additional groups of terrorists holding Israeli hostages in the Gaza Strip in recent days.
The update came after several days in which there was no contact with two of the four terrorists groups holding the hostages. A source familiar with developments told Israel Hayom that four separate groups in Gaza are currently holding Israelis. One of them is affiliated with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist organization.
Each group has made different demands related to its members' future, including guarantees for their personal safety and immunity from future Israeli retaliation. Each also has its own interpretation of what it views as the "achievements of the war" from the Hamas–jihadist perspective, two years on.
According to another source, most of the terrorists currently holding hostages are less extreme than the former Hamas leadership, which was mostly eliminated during the war. These groups reportedly do not wish to endanger their own lives or those of their families, and are therefore willing to negotiate terms for ending the conflict. However, both their individual and collective demands vary, and talks with them are described by US President Donald Trump as progressing but still difficult and uncompromising.
One of the main obstacles in recent days has been the inability to contact two of the four groups. Turkish officials said they succeeded within the past 24 hours in reestablishing communication with those groups. Several sources noted that Turkey is exerting considerable effort to make the plan succeed in order to please Trump. However, it remains unclear whether any substantive progress toward an agreement has been achieved.
Meanwhile, Israel Hayom has learned of growing disagreement among the mediating states over the possible release of senior Fatah figure Marwan Barghouti from an Israeli prison. Some Arab countries fear that freeing Barghouti could ignite violent clashes between his supporters in Ramallah and rival factions within the Palestinian Authority. For that reason, they are firmly opposed to his release. Qatar and Turkey, however, are pressing for Barghouti's freedom, arguing that he has become a "Symbol for the Palestinians."
Barghouti headed Fatah's Tanzim militia during the Second Intifada (2000–2005) and orchestrated numerous terrorist attacks against Israelis. He was convicted in five cases of murder and sentenced in 2004 to five consecutive life terms plus 40 years in prison. Considered one of the leaders of the imprisoned terrorists, he has repeatedly violated hunger strikes that he himself declared.
Because of his violent past and his influence among prisoners, Israel has consistently refused to release him in previous deals with Hamas and other terrorist groups. In recent days, however, Israeli officials have notably refrained from commenting on the possibility of his release.
