Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abd al-Rahman al-Thani has made significant progress in negotiations on the return of hostages taken by Hamas militants on October 7. During a joint press conference with Josep Borrell, head of the European Union’s foreign policy department, he stated that while there are still problems to be resolved, they are insignificant compared to those already addressed. “We are talking about practical issues such as logistics,” he said.

On November 19, the Washington Post reported that a preliminary exchange agreement had been reached between Israel and Hamas, mediated by Qatar. The article, written by Keren DeYoung, revealed that as part of the agreement reached, dozens of women and children abducted by terrorists on October 7 should be released. The document is said to be six pages long and provides for the release of 50 or more hostages. However, based on the description provided, it is not clear in what order Hamas agrees to release the abductees.