Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu intensified his pressure on Qatar today to secure the release of hostages held in Gaza, stating that "Doha should use its influence over Hamas as it hosts and funds them." Netanyahu told reporters, "I stand by my words," in response to a question regarding his unpublicized comments in which he expressed that he did not wish to thank Qatar for its mediation and described it as "troublesome." These remarks were leaked to Israeli television this week in the form of an audio recording.
The explicit comments come unusually ahead of what sources described to Reuters as a meeting between the Qatari Prime Minister and the heads of intelligence from Israel, the United States, and Egypt to discuss a potential new agreement for the release of hostages. Sources noted that "these talks are expected to take place tomorrow, Sunday, at an undisclosed location in Europe, but officials from the four countries have not officially confirmed the meeting."
Netanyahu requested for "Qatar to exert pressure on Hamas," saying "They are acting as mediators, so please go ahead and ask them to return our hostages."
