Protest by families of hostagesDana Rani
Report: Netanyahu demanding release of all living hostages at once
Senior Hamas official claims that Netanyahu raised new demands in the negotiations on a hostage release deal, demanding the release of all the living hostages in the first phase of the agreement.
A senior security official in Egypt told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed newspaper that the last round of negotiations on a ceasefire in Gaza and a hostage release deal went very well, and the mediators in Egypt and Qatar were on the verge of reaching a semi-final draft.
This draft agreement, the security official noted, was supposed to be sent to the parties, after Hamas submitted an acceptable version regarding the period in which the issues related to the withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, the end of the war, and the number of terrorist prisoners to be deported after their release, would be discussed.
The Egyptian official claimed that at this point in the negotiations, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “surprised” all the parties involved with his “evasive” approach, which was manifested in raising new demands regarding the prisoners to be released and the withdrawal of Israeli forces in the first phase of the agreement.
A senior Hamas official told the newspaper that the scope of the changes Netanyahu demanded does not advance approval of a comprehensive deal and undermines the principle of gradual steps that the parties had agreed upon.
The Hamas official claimed that Netanyahu’s position indicates that he is interested in a partial deal in which all the living hostages would be returned in one phase.
