Axios reported today, Sunday, that a Qatari official and an unnamed Israeli source stated that "Doha has informed the families of six detainees in the Gaza Strip that efforts to reach a swap agreement have become more difficult following the assassination of Saleh al-Arouri, the deputy head of Hamas's political bureau." According to the report, the Qatari official and the Israeli source indicated that "Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, the Qatari Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, informed the families of the American and Israeli detainees that the current negotiations have become extremely complex."
The report further mentioned that Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman told the families of the detainees in the Qatari capital, Doha, that "dialogue with Hamas has become more difficult following al-Arouri's assassination in Beirut." The Qatari official also stated that "Qatar is playing the role of mediator but does not control Hamas, with the difficulty of maintaining communication channels with it increasing due to the escalation of Israeli bombardments on the Gaza Strip."
Sources from Al Arabiya had revealed that "Hamas informed mediators of a freeze on discussions regarding any ceasefire or prisoner exchange following Saleh al-Arouri's assassination in an Israeli operation in Beirut last Tuesday." The sources indicated that "Saleh al-Arouri was scheduled to travel to the mediators this week for further consultations about Hamas's demands." They also confirmed that "Hamas has informed the mediators that negotiations are contingent upon an agreement to cease assassinations and halt fire."
Conversely, Israel informed the mediators that "it will not stop assassination operations against Hamas leaders in order to achieve a ceasefire and that it does not target Lebanon or Hezbollah, but rather all those involved in the October 7 attack." The New York Times disclosed, citing an American source, that "the targeting of al-Arouri is the first of several operations that Israel will carry out against Hamas leaders." The newspaper added that "Israel plans to carry out a series of targeted strikes against Hamas leaders."
