Dermer Meets With Witkoff in ‘Last Ditch Effort’ To Restart Hostage Negotiations
Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer was scheduled to meet Wednesday night in London with US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff in what Hebrew media described as a last effort to restart negotiations on a ceasefire and hostage-release agreement.
According to Channel 12, the talks face a major obstacle: Qatari mediators are refusing to engage following last week’s Israeli strike in Doha aimed at senior Hamas figures. The strike is believed to have failed, but it soured relations with Qatar, long seen as a central player in mediation.
Witkoff traveled to London with US President Donald Trump, who is on a state visit to the United Kingdom. American officials are reportedly urging Israel to make a gesture to ease tensions with Qatar, in hopes of bringing them back into the talks.
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Col. “Alef,” deputy head of the IDF’s Intelligence Directorate Research Division, told the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that Qatar wants to return to its mediator role. However, the crisis triggered by the Doha strike must first be resolved, a source told N12, noting the US is actively shuttling between Qatari and Israeli officials to bridge the gap.
Ahead of the strike, Washington had floated a proposal calling for all hostages to be released on the first day of a truce, with the possibility of ending the war in Gaza if subsequent talks succeeded. Hamas said it was considering the offer when the bombing occurred.
Meanwhile, about 100 protesters—many relatives of hostages—gathered outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s private residence for the second night in a row, demanding action.
Police kept demonstrators 150 meters from the house behind barriers, after placing tarps on fences the previous night—moves that families said were meant to mute their protest.
