Anxiety grips hostage families ahead of the fifth phase release list publication. "The families are under immense pressure," a source close to the families said Thursday.
On Friday, the Hamas terror organization was due to publish the list of three hostages to be released on Saturday. Once again, in a nerve-wracking manner, the families will receive the news just one day before the release. Currently, before the fifth phase, 20 Israeli hostages remain on the release list, including members of the Bibas family, Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir, following the return of the family's father, Yarden, last Saturday.
However, it should be noted that according to Hamas' statement, eight of the 20 are no longer alive, though their identities remain uncertain.
The delegation departing for Doha this weekend to negotiate Phase B of the deal will consist only of lower-ranking officials, mostly newcomers who weren't involved in previous rounds in Qatar, without the leadership of the Shin Bet chief and Mossad director, and without Minister Ron Dermer, who was supposed to replace them. Against this backdrop, a diplomatic source told Israel Hayom: "There's concern that the other side's response to the seriousness of this move could be severe, and might even jeopardize the continuation of Phase A of the deal."
Negotiations for the second phase are set to begin this upcoming weekend in Doha, but in reality, the departing team has no mandate to move forward, and according to the diplomatic source, they don't command much trust from the Qatari side since they're staff who haven't previously been to Qatar. According to the Diplomatic-Security Cabinet decision that accompanied the approval of the first phase of the deal, meaningful talks can only begin after the Diplomatic-Security Cabinet convenes to discuss the matter.
As demanded by Finance Minister and Cabinet member MK Bezalel Smotrich, negotiations won't proceed automatically; instead, the negotiating team will need to receive an updated Israeli position before talks can practically begin.
Prime Minister Netanyahu himself already committed this week, following his conversation with Trump's Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, that an Israeli team would depart for talks as required this weekend. How to reconcile the promise with practical reality? A source familiar with the details told Israel Hayom that initially, the team will only listen to the demands raised by the mediators. On Thursday morning, Hostages and Missing Persons Coordinator Gal Hirsch landed in Israel, having advanced his arrival to prepare the working-level delegation heading to Qatar.
