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As many as 40 Israeli women and children are being held hostage in Gaza by groups other than Hamas—and the militant group will need to account for them in order to extend its brief ceasefire with Israel, Qatar’s prime minister told the Financial Times on Sunday.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani told the newspaper that the fragile truce, which was brokered by Qatar, could continue should Hamas use the pause to track down the other hostages. There would have to be “proof” that the group, which also governs the Gaza Strip, had found and could release those hostages, the prime minister added.
He indicated there were no other terms under which Israel would be willing to extend the peace. “From our perspective, we want to see this war stopped to figure out a solution to address the concerns [Israel has], but until now the only willingness to negotiate about any pause or ceasefire… is associated with the hostages,” Sheikh Mohammed told the Times.