5/23/2024–|Last updated: 5/23/202411:10 AM (Mecca time)
The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation quoted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office as saying that the war council directed the negotiating team to continue negotiations for the return of detainees in Gaza.
For its part, Israeli Channel 12 quoted Netanyahu’s office as confirming that the negotiating team received a directive at the war council meeting to resume communications regarding a prisoner exchange deal.
According to the same source, Netanyahu’s office did not specify exactly what the directive is, and how the negotiating team is expected to move the negotiations forward, indicating that there is an absolute majority in the War Council in favor of negotiating on the basis of the latest proposal.
New draft
An official Israeli source had said that there were efforts to formulate a new draft of an exchange deal with the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), the broad outlines of which were presented during the war council meeting.
The Israeli media, quoting the Israeli official, added that the security services put forward a new offer for the exchange deal in which Israel does not pledge to end the war on Gaza.
Israeli media said that the prisoner exchange deal negotiations are now in their most difficult stage since the negotiations with Hamas began through mediators.
Channel 12 indicates that Major General Nitzan Alon, who is responsible for the file of detainees in the Israeli army, drafted a document that includes amendments to the Israeli response to the proposal.
Rose video
According to what she reported, the amendments to the Israeli response aim to find out how the issue of stopping the fighting in the Gaza Strip can be postponed within the framework of a possible deal, noting that the War Council’s decision to resume negotiations came after the video of the capture of female soldiers at the Nahal Oz military base was published.
Israeli television broadcast footage for the first time of five female army recruits being detained by members of the Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, during the Al-Aqsa flood attack.
The families of the female soldiers expressed their hope that the footage would increase pressure on Netanyahu to agree to a truce with the movement and secure the release of prisoners detained in Gaza, noting that it was published in conjunction with a session of the Israeli War Council.
For its part, the Hamas movement criticized footage broadcast on Israeli television of five female army recruits being detained by the movement’s militants during the “Al-Aqsa Flood” attack on October 7 last year.
At the beginning of this month, delegations from Hamas, Israel, and mediators visited the Egyptian capital, Cairo, to complete discussions on the deal, but the talks did not lead to progress in the negotiations, especially with the occupation army launching an operation east of Rafah, despite warnings.
A day ago, the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation reported that the war government ministers would support a new proposal to reach a deal and release the detainees, and explained that the proposal includes settling a point of disagreement with Hamas.
Deal and proposal
On May 6, the Hamas movement announced its acceptance of a deal proposal, but Israel rejected it, saying that “Hamas’ demands are different from what it wants,” in reference to the movement’s demand to end the war, which Tel Aviv rejects.
The mediators’ efforts continue to convince the two parties of an agreement that guarantees a ceasefire and the exchange of prisoners, in preparation for ending the war on Gaza, which has caused an unprecedented humanitarian and health crisis and the death and injury of tens of thousands of Palestinians, most of them children and women, since last October 7.
However, both Qatar and Egypt warned against attempts to cast doubt on the mediation, and called for not paying attention to media reports that cast accusations against mediation efforts, while Cairo said that continuing to cast doubt on its mediation to end the Gaza war “may push it to withdraw,” after accusations from American media. And Israeli for Egypt’s efforts.
It is noteworthy that Netanyahu faces accusations from within the War Council, from the opposition, and from the families of the prisoners, of giving priority to his political interests by delaying the conclusion of a deal to restore the Israeli prisoners in Gaza.