The Hamas delegation is headed by the terror organization’s senior official Khalil al-Hayya, deputy head of the terror group’s political bureau in the Gaza Strip, and Hussam Badran, Hamas’s head of the Arab relations department.
The report said the two Palestinian organizations will discuss methods of reaching agreements, and an extended meeting will soon be held with the participation of all Palestinian factions.
“He has disappeared for us too and has not made contact,” the officials were cited as saying.
The officials also told the families that they believed Sinwar surrounded himself with hostages.
“Sinwar is currently not communicating with us. He has disappeared for us too and has not made contact,” the officials were cited as saying by the Israeli news outlet, adding that due to the eliminations, Sinwar had ceased to communicate via phones.
At present, Sinwar is communicating through “paper and pen,” officials reportedly claimed, adding that there was no evidence that the Hamas leader was killed.
The Qatari officials also claimed that Israel’s elimination of Hamas leadership had made a hostage-ceasefire deal more challenging.
“Israel adopted a policy of eliminations that worsened the deal,” the officials reportedly said, adding that “In the past, there was [Hamas’s political bureau chief Ismail] Haniyeh, and he was eliminated. Now there is Khaled Mashaal, and he is much more difficult, Haniyeh.”
Haniyeh was killed in July during a visit to Tehran. Israel has not claimed responsibility for his death.
Israel’s Jewish Agency reports that global Jewish population hits 15.8 million, rising by 100,000 since last Rosh Hashanah.
By World Israel News Staff
The global Jewish population now stands at approximately 15.8 million, Israel’s Jewish Agency said in a report published on the eve of the Jewish new year last week.
According to the report, the worldwide Jewish population saw an increase of about 100,000 since last Rosh Hashanah, rising from 15.7 million in the fall of 2023 to 15.8 million in 2024.
The Jewish Agency report is based on research conducted by demographer Prof. Sergio Della Pergola from the Hebrew University for the American Jewish Yearbook (2024 AJYB).
According to the data, 7.3 million Jews live in Israel, compared to 7.2 million at the beginning of 5784, while 8.5 million Jews live outside of Israel — including 6.3 million in the United States and 2.2 million in other countries. The figure for Israel is calculated after a technical correction made by Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics regarding the definitions of residency in Israel.
Commenting on the significance of the global Jewish population figures, Chairman of The Jewish Agency Maj. Gen. (res.) Doron Almog said, “The existential relationship between the Jewish communities around the world and the State of Israel has strengthened in the past year.”
“We are witnessing unprecedented support that provides us the strength and hope to carry on. The difficult war that was imposed on us, alongside the struggle of Jews around the world against rising antisemitism, emphasizes the shared destiny and the mission of The Jewish Agency — to be a living bridge between global Jewry and the State of Israel, to be the home for all Jews from around the world — from all denominations and sectors.”
“We will continue to unite and harness the power of the Jewish people to restore the State of Israel and build a model society based on the values of mutual responsibility and unconditional love.”
The Jewish population estimates for Russia and Ukraine were adjusted for the significant immigration that followed the war there. In some countries, calculations were made according to recent surveys and in other countries, the total was determined according to statistical data and accepted tools for demographic assessment.
The data in this study refers to what is defined as the core Jewish population: people who identify as Jews and/or sons and daughters of at least one Jewish parent, and who are not members of another religion.
The core Jewish population by country, in countries with a total of at least 10,000 Jews, as of January 2024 (not including broad definitions of those entitled to the Law of Return) is as follows: France 438,500, Canada 400,000, Great Britain 313,000, Argentina 170,000, Germany 125,000, Russia 123,000, Australia 117,000, Brazil 90,300, South Africa 49,500, Hungary 45,000, Mexico 41,000, The Netherlands 35,000, Ukraine 32,000, Belgium 29,000, Italy 26,800, Switzerland 20,500, Uruguay 16,100, Chile 15,500, Turkey 15,000, Sweden 14,900 Spain 13,000, Austria 10,300, and Panama with 10,000.
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