"If this happens – we are doomed to hostages who will die in captivity."

Dr. Ronen Bergman said today (Tuesday) on 103fm that the condition of the hostages is not good, and referred to the stalemate in the hostage deal: "Either Hamas will give up one of its three demands, or something will change on the side of the Israeli government and it will agree to meet those demands."

"In the current situation, if these [demands] remain as they are and the Prime Minister of Israel does not make a difficult decision – we are only doomed to hostages who will go and die in Hamas captivity," he said.

A few weeks ago, a senior source in Hamas referred to the proposed framework for the hostage deal and told the newspaper "Al-Arabi Al-Jadid" that "the movement has been and continues to engage positively with the ceasefire proposals in Gaza and the efforts of the mediators, whether Egyptian or Qatari."

At the same time, he added: "We have red lines that we have communicated to the mediating countries – a complete withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, the return of all displaced persons to their homes without distinction between the north and the south, the entry of aid to the Palestinian people, and the reconstruction of the Strip."

Mossad chief David Barnea's quick trip to Doha for talks shows just how urgent the situation has become.

Bergman's grim assessment of the hostages' condition adds pressure to what's already a race against time. "The current situation can't hold," he said. "Something's got to give."