Posted on 02/01/24
| News Source: Arutz-7
A senior Israeli official on Thursday urged caution on the prospects of a hostage release deal being reached with Hamas.
Speaking to NBC News, the official said that, given all the challenges, it’s unclear if the deal will come together.
“I don’t think it’s more than 50/50 it will materialize,” the official said.
Meanwhile, a senior adviser to War Cabinet said that the War Cabinet is on standby for Hamas’ reaction to the principles ironed out in Paris on Sunday by CIA director William Burns, Mossad chief David Barnea, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and an Egyptian senior intelligence official.
“Everyone is waiting to see Hamas’ reaction,” the adviser said, according to NBC News, adding that the War Cabinet is expecting to start negotiations according to the principles sent to Hamas once Hamas replies.
Earlier on Thursday, The Wall Street Journal published details about the deal which was proposed.
According to the report, Israel and Hamas are considering a three-part deal that would see the release of Israeli hostages beginning with a six-week ceasefire.
In the first phase of the proposal being discussed, civilians including the elderly, sick and children will be released. At the same time, residents of Gaza will be able to move freely throughout the Strip.
In the next phase, which will only come if the first phase is successful, female soldiers will be released. According to the report, Hamas has demanded the release of 150 terrorists for every female soldier who will be released, a demand that has been defined as a "point of contention" between the sides.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday evening released a video in which he made a statement regarding the talks to reach a deal for the release of the hostages in Gaza.
"There is a lot of noise in the media about the efforts to get more hostages released, so I want to make it clear: We are working on another plan for the release of our hostages, but I stress: Not at any cost," Netanyahu said.
He added, "I have red lines, among them: We will not end the war, we will not remove the IDF from the Strip, and we will not release thousands of terrorists."
"We are constantly working to free our hostages and to achieve the other goals of the war: The elimination of Hamas and the promise that Gaza will no longer pose a threat. We are working on all three together and we will not give up on any of them," Netanyahu said.
Earlier on Wednesday, Netanyahu met with representatives of 18 families of hostages, for a highly charged meeting, in which he pledged to promote a deal, regardless of coalition considerations, Channel 12 reported.
According to the report, the families demanded that the Prime Minister accept a deal even at the expense of dismantling his coalition.
The Prime Minister replied to them: "If there is a deal that is good for Israel, for the return of the hostages and the realization of the goals of the war – I will do it…But if I think that the situation endangers Israel's security or does not achieve the goals that we want – I won't do it."