Prime Minister Netanyahu stresses that Israel will not agree to a deal that stipulates a permanent end to the war.
By World Israel News Staff
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office published a list of “non-negotiable” Israeli demands for a potential break in the ongoing fighting in the Gaza Strip, which would see the release of Israeli hostages still held in the coastal enclave nine months after the October 7th terror onslaught.
Last week, Hamas said it had dropped its demand for Israel to commit to a permanent end to the war, which was a non-starter for Jerusalem.
The terror group’s announcement signaled that it was ready to engage in negotiations once again, which had bene stalled for several months.
Israel recently sent Mossad head David Barnea and a negotiating team to Qatar, where they met with Qatari, Egyptian, and American interlocuters.
In a media statement, Netanyahu said that Israel would only agree to a deal that meets the following conditions: allows Israel to continue fighting until its war aims are achieved, prevents the smuggling of weapons from Egypt to Hamas via Gaza border crossings, does not permit the return of armed Hamas members and other terror operatives who have been displaced from the northern Strip, and provides the “maximum” number of living hostages released form Hamas captivity.
Netanyahu’s announcement sparked backlash from some in the security and defense establishment, who claimed that publicizing Israel’s “red lines” would make it more difficult to secure a deal.
One anonymous security official, who spoke to Hebrew-language Channel 12 News, asserted that Netanyahu was attempting to sabotage the deal by making the statement.
“Netanyahu pretends that he wants a deal, but is working to torpedo it,” the official said.
“He’s dragging out the process, trying to stretch time until his speech in Congress [on July 24] and then the [Knesset] recess.”
Sharon Alony Cunio, a former Hamas captive who was released in a December hostage deal with her 3-year-old daughters, said that Netanyahu’s announcement worried her.
Alony Cunio’s husband, David, is still held by the terror group.
“I was very optimistic, but as the days pass you suddenly notice that the messages that come out are more focused on the gaps [between the sides],” she told Army Radio.
“Don’t jeopardize the deal with statements.”