Following a surprise visit by the heads of Mossad and Shin Bet to Cairo on Saturday regarding the Gaza deal, Israel’s Channel 12 confirmed the return of the negotiating team from the Egyptian capital due to a disagreement with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Israeli media outlets reported a significant tension between Netanyahu and his negotiating team during a meeting held last Wednesday.
According to Channel 12, the Shin Bet head told Netanyahu that he felt the latter was not interested in the deal and that if this were true, he should inform them accordingly.
Meanwhile, the Mossad chief believed that “a deal could be reached, but procrastination might miss the opportunity.”
Netanyahu to the negotiating team: “Weak”
The Israeli military representative in the ceasefire negotiations told Netanyahu: “His conditions do not allow reaching an agreement.”
Netanyahu, addressing the negotiating team, said, “They are weak and do not know how to handle it.”
Security agency leaders revealed that Netanyahu does not want the exchange deal at this stage and has abandoned the detainees.
While two Israeli officials told Axios, “An agreement regarding the Gaza deal is still far off.”
Netanyahu’s office responds
In response to the leaks and briefings described as “false by unknown parties in the media,” Netanyahu’s office issued a statement saying, “Netanyahu agreed on the detailed plan for the deal, while Hamas is trying to introduce dozens of changes that would effectively nullify the detailed plan.”
The statement added, “Hamas continues to demand an end to the war, the release of the fewest possible number of hostages, the ability to flood Gaza with weapons, regain control of it, and repeat the horrors of October 7th.”
“The Prime Minister is very willing to go a great distance to release the dear hostages while ensuring Israel’s security,” the statement described.
“We expect the same from the Americans”
The Prime Minister’s office clarified that “the Prime Minister has not added anything to the 27/5 plan and continues to commit to Israel’s fundamental security terms under this plan: doubling the release of live hostages, controlling the Philadelphia Corridor, and preventing the passage of illegal militants and fighters to northern Gaza.”
Netanyahu’s office also stated, “The Prime Minister does not interfere with American politics and expects the same from the Americans.”
This development came after two American officials revealed that President Biden had demanded during a “strict” call yesterday, Thursday, that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu immediately stop escalating tensions in the region and move towards an agreement on the hostage situation in Gaza and a ceasefire.
The officials clarified that Biden called Netanyahu to discuss the joint military preparations between the United States and Israel to respond to retaliatory attacks from Iran and Hezbollah, but also to express his dissatisfaction with the direction the Israeli Prime Minister had taken in the past week, according to Axios.
One of them said that Biden complained to Netanyahu that the two had just spoken last week in the Oval Office about securing the hostage deal, but instead, Netanyahu proceeded with the assassination in Tehran.
The American official added that Biden told Netanyahu that the United States would help Israel defeat any Iranian attack, but then he does not expect further escalation from the Israeli side and an immediate move towards the hostage deal.
It is worth noting that the hostage exchange deal has been pending for a while between Israel and Hamas, amidst pressure on Netanyahu to agree to an exchange deal as soon as possible.
On May 31, U.S. President Joe Biden revealed an Israeli proposal for another truce, but talks since then have failed to achieve results.
