TEL AVIV, January 13. /TASS/. The Hostages, Missing Persons and Returnees Directorate under the Israeli prime minister’s office has held a series of exercises to get prepared to receive hostages released under a potential deal, the office of the Israeli prime minister said.
"In recent weeks, the Directorate has carried out a number of preparedness exercises for various scenarios, in partnership with the relevant government offices and other professional bodies, and has ensured that they are ready to take care of the returnees and their families," it said in a statement. "The Hostages Directorate keeps in continuous contact with the families [of the hostages] with regard to all new updates on the negotiations, and will continue to accompany the families of the hostages, hoping and praying for all of their swift return home."
It also called on media outlets and public "to respect the privacy of the families in this complicated time."
The Kan radio station said on Monday that Israeli state institutions had been instructed to get prepared to receive hostages in case the deal for their release is reached within days. According to Kan, official representatives of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) men with health ministry officials to discuss measures to prepare hospitals for the potential admission of the hostages.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said earlier in the day that progress had been reached at the hostage release talks. Reuters reported earlier, citing its source, that Qatar gave the final draft of the agreement to representatives of Israel and Hamas. According to the source, Qatari Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani held talks with chief of Israel’s intelligence service Mossad David Barnea and US incoming Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff late on January 12. The consultations yielded a breakthrough after midnight, the source said.
On January 11, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed the negotiators to head to Doha to continue consultations on the release of hostages from Gaza. On January 12, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told CNN that the sides are very close to a ceasefire deal, which may be reached before President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration on January 20. On January 12, the Israeli prime minister's office said that Netanyahu discussed progress of Gaza negotiations with Biden by phone.
Tensions flared up again in the Middle East on October 7 after militants from the Gaza Strip-based radical Palestinian group Hamas launched a surprise incursion on Israeli territory, killing many Israeli kibbutz residents living near the Gaza border and abducting more than 240 Israelis, including women, children and the elderly. Israel declared a total blockade of the Gaza Strip and launched bombardments of the enclave.
During a week-long Egypt and Qatar-mediated humanitarian ceasefire in late November 2023, more than 100 hostages were released, but the ceasefire was violated by Hamas on December 1, 2023 and Israel resumed its operation against Hamas. Hostilities continue until now.
After several rounds of consultations in 2024, which involved Egypt, Qatar and the US, the sides of the conflict failed to agree on another ceasefire.
According to the latest data of the Israeli side, 98 hostages are still being held hostage in Gaza.