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CIA Director William Burns, alongside the director of Israel’s Mossad and Qatari officials, convened in Warsaw to discuss resuming negotiations aimed at releasing hostages held by Hamas.

Since Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, over 100 individuals remain captive. The conflict witnessed a brief pause in November when Israel and Hamas exchanged prisoners, resulting in the liberation of 105 hostages from Hamas and about 240 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli custody.

The plight of the Israeli hostages held by Hamas has become a highly sensitive international issue, with their families urgently calling for their release as a central objective of Israel’s campaign against Hamas. Mixed reports of torture and mistreatment faced by these hostages, coupled with claims of being treated well by former hostages, have created confusion about their welfare.

This comes as public opinion in Israel reflects varied levels of support for the government’s efforts to negotiate temporary ceasefires for humanitarian exchanges, as indicated by a survey conducted by the Israel Democracy Institute. The survey revealed a significant divide in opinions, with 84.5% of left-wing Israelis favoring the ceasefire compared to 56% of right-wing Israelis.