Qatar played a central role in securing the surprise release Friday of an American mother and daughter held hostage by Hamas. Now that Judith Raanan and her daughter, Natalie, are free, the hope is that the release of more captives by Hamas “could lead to wider dialogue or mediation,” aimed at averting a full-scale war, a diplomat with knowledge of the talks told NBC News on Saturday.
There were “ups and downs” during the discussions, said the diplomat, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk publicly. Ultimately the American mother and daughter walked free because negotiators were able to convince Hamas that the unconditional release of two hostages could serve as a confidence building measure.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
Now that Judith Raanan and her daughter, Natalie, are free, the hope is that the release of more captives by Hamas “could lead to wider dialogue or mediation,” aimed at averting a full-scale war, a diplomat with knowledge of the talks told NBC News on Saturday.
Ultimately the American mother and daughter walked free because negotiators were able to convince Hamas that the unconditional release of two hostages could serve as a confidence building measure.
Mamoun Fandy, the president of the London Global Strategy Institute, a think tank based in the British capital, said the successful hostage negotiation with Hamas allowed Qatar to show it is “the hub of diplomacy in this crisis.”
But Eldad Shavit, a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv, cautioned that the release of the two hostages was “probably a manipulation” by Hamas.
“My assumption is that Hamas is conducting a military operation and also a political campaign,” said Shavit, who has served senior roles in Israeli defense intelligence and the prime minister’s office.
While Qatar was “proving to be a key ally of the U.S. and fending off criticism related to their decision to keep hosting senior Hamas leaders,” Horowitz said the images and testimonies of the attack were too fresh in the memories of Israelis.
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