All civilians held hostage in Gaza could be freed within days if there is a ceasefireQatar’s chief negotiators say.

Dr. Mohammed Al Khulaifi, Senior Negotiator and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Qatar, he told Sky News in an exclusive interview that negotiations to free the Israeli hostages from Hamas are tough, but mediators are making progress.

“It’s a very, very difficult negotiation that we’ve been engaged in,” he said, adding that “our task has been made even more difficult by the violence that is increasing every day and the shelling that continues.”

So far only four hostages have been freed, an American mother and her daughter and two elderly Israeli women. More than 200 of them and foreign nationals remain captive inside Gaza.

Dr Mohamed told Sky News he was increasingly optimistic of a major breakthrough, adding: “Our goal is to free all civilian hostages. This is what we are working for and this is what we want to achieve.

However, he stressed that for further progress there should be a ceasefire.

“We need to get to a time when we can talk sense with both sides and take positive initiatives.”

In fact, sources familiar with Qatar’s efforts to free Israeli prisoners from Gaza said that the country is working to free a significant number of hostages..

According to sources cited by Sputnik, “the Qatari authorities are now working to reach an agreement for the release of about 50 more people.”

In particular, the Prime Minister of Qatar, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, stated that negotiations with Hamas are progressing.

“There is some progress and we remain optimistic,” Thani said during a Qatar press conference in Doha.

However, the Prime Minister and other officials report that the imminent ground invasion of Gaza by Israel will worsen the negotiation process.

“Obviously, a ground invasion of Gaza will jeopardize the safety of the prisoners, but it will also complicate our mediation efforts with both sides, which is why we call on all parties to this conflict to immediately de-escalate,” he said. the representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Majed Al Ansari.

Qatar has been in open dialogue with Palestinian factions and Israel as part of a cease-fire effort while the war between the two rages.

More recently, Qatar negotiated the release of two US citizens and two elderly settlers, which Israel initially refused.

Israel estimates that Palestinian factions have over 200 prisoners, 22 of whom have already been killed by Israeli airstrikes consistent with the Israeli Hannibal doctrine.

In coordination with the US, the Gulf state will continue to hold these negotiation talks in the hope of settling the escalating war in the Levant region.