Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that “we are likely to reach a ceasefire agreement for 60 days within a few days,” while the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) indicated that Netanyahu’s talk about the inability to reach a comprehensive deal that confirms “malicious and bad intentions”.
These developments come with the continuing indirect negotiations in the Qatari capital to reach an agreement to exchange prisoners and end the war in Gaza.
Netanyahu confirmed – in statements to News Max – that there is currently a deal to release half of the neighborhood “detainees” and half the dead, and 10 neighborhoods and about 12 bodies will remain, and added that the war “can end today or tomorrow if Hamas threw its weapons.”
Netanyahu – the international criminal required for war crimes in Gaza – also praised the positions of US President Donald Trump supporting Israel and said, “We have never supported Israel in the White House like Trump.”
Netanyahu had said that if Hamas would not disarm and dismantle the movement within a period of 60 days, Israel would return to fight. Prior to his departure from Washington, he added that Israel will enter into negotiations related to the end of the war, but this must be done according to its conditions, as he claimed.
On the other hand, Netanyahu’s Diwan said that the Prime Minister and his wife met in Washington a number of “kidnapped” families. He added that Netanyahu stressed – during the meeting – that efforts are continuing to restore neighborhood and dead prisoners.
On the other hand, Israeli channel 12 said that Netanyahu informed the families of the prisoners that it is not possible to complete a comprehensive deal, but during the truce period, the war will be ended, and the prisoners’ families pledged to work to restore the last prisoner.
The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation said that Netanyahu informed the families of the prisoners that it was Hamas who would decide the names of those who will be released if an agreement was reached, while the Israeli newspaper “Haaretz” reported that Netanyahu informed the families that negotiations on ending the war will start immediately upon reaching a truce agreement for 60 days.
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On the other hand, the Israeli Prisoners’ Families Authority in Gaza responded by asking the Netanyahu government to provide it with full information about the mechanism of determining those who will be released. It also demanded – in a statement – to know the parties that will determine the names of the prisoners, and the criteria that you take into account when determining the names.
The extreme right opposes
In return for the tone of the truce that the Israeli Prime Minister is trying to appear, the ministers of the extremist right of the government continued their calls for rejecting negotiation, as Security Minister Etamar bin Ghafir said, “The more negotiation increases on reckless deals, the greater the motives of Hamas to carry out more kidnappings.”
Bin Ghafir called for a stopping of a deal, saying that the lives of Israeli soldiers and the residents of the south are more important than any normalization or economic agreements, adding, “I say to Netanyahu to negotiate with Hamas, but rather it must be crushed.”
In the same context, the Minister of Finance Bastel Smotrich warned that withdrawing from areas controlled by the Israeli army is a stab in the back of the soldiers and families of those who fell in the battles.
Netanyahu’s malicious intentions
For its part, Hamas said that Netanyahu’s conversation – on the inability to reach a comprehensive deal – confirms the malicious and bad intentions of it, by placing obstacles in front of an agreement that leads to the release of the prisoners and stopping the aggression against the Gaza Strip.
Hamas confirmed that it had previously offered to reach a comprehensive exchange deal to release all the prisoners in one go in exchange for a permanent endowment of the aggression, and a comprehensive withdrawal of the occupation army, but Netanyahu refused the offer at the time and Hamas accused him of dribbling and put more obstacles.
Hamas renewed the emphasis on its positive and responsible dealings in the negotiations to reach an agreement that leads to the cessation of the aggression and the withdrawal of the occupation army in exchange for an exchange of prisoners.
American optimism
Meanwhile, the US administration renewed its optimism about reaching an agreement, as Foreign Minister Marco Rubio said that the United States is optimistic about reaching a ceasefire agreement in Gaza, and revealed that Steve Witakouf, the president’s envoy is also optimistic that indirect talks will be held soon.
“I think we are closer to what we were before, and there are still challenges, and one of the basic challenges is the unwillingness of Hamas to disarm, there must be no hostage, all hostages must be released, if they release the hostages and remove their weapons, everything ends.”
In the Qatari capital, a new round of indirect talks between a delegation representing Hamas and another Israeli, which will enter this Friday will enter its sixth day, with the aim of discussing the details of an agreement ensuring the ceasefire of the Israeli war on Gaza and continuing since October 7, 2023.
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