Netanyahu pushing for release of all surviving hostages – report

Israeli prime minister reportedly seeking to have all surviving hostages in Gaza freed in the first stage of a ceasefire deal with Hamas.

By World Israel News Staff

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is pushing to have all living hostages held in the Gaza Strip released together during the first phase of a possible ceasefire deal with Hamas, according to an Arabic media report Wednesday night.

The report, published by the London-based, Qatari-owned New Arab or Al-Araby Al-Jadeed news site, cited a senior Egyptian security official involved in brokered hostage-deal talks between Israel and Hamas in Doha, Qatar.

The Egyptian official claimed that during the latest round of talks, which ended in late December, significant progress was made, with the two sides left on the verge of a major breakthrough and the drafting of a semi-final text for a deal.

At the time that talks were suspended, the official continued, Egyptian and Qatari officials were awaiting Hamas’s timetable for hammering out the remaining major issues, including the details of an IDF withdrawal from the Gaza Strip during the ceasefire, the timing of the conclusion of the current war, and the number of jailed terrorists released in a possible deal who would be deported upon their release.

The Egyptian and Qatari negotiators, along with Hamas’s negotiating team, were “surprised” when Netanyahu suddenly raised new conditions for a deal, the source said, fueling claims that Israel is attempting to reframe negotiations with the goal of securing the release of all living Israeli hostages in Gaza during the first phase of the ceasefire.

Thus far, ceasefire talks have centered around proposals for a three-phase deal, according to which 30-35 Israeli captives would be released in the first stage, with the remaining captives – including the remains of dead hostages – to be released in the second and third stages.

Netanyahu, the Egyptian official added, also appeared to be “evasive” regarding efforts to secure a withdrawal of IDF forces from part of the Gaza Strip during the first phase of the proposed ceasefire.