Israeli cabinet meets on ceasefire negotiations: Report
Israeli broadcaster Channel 12 reports that members of the cabinet will are discussing the deal, the hope of which were revived yesterday after Hamas said it presented new “ideas” to Qatari, Egyptian and Turkish mediators on how to reach a ceasefire.
Israel confirmed it is “evaluating” Hamas’s “comments”, which it did not detail.
Israeli media is also reporting that the country will send a delegation to continue negotiations, with the head of the Mossad, Israel’s foreign intelligence agency, leading talks.
Netanyahu tells Biden hostage deal talks will resume
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told US President Joe Biden in a call that Israel had decided to send a delegation to negotiate a captive release with Hamas, but would end the war in Gaza only after “achieving all its objectives”, Netanyahu’s office said in a statement.
Netanyahu’s comments confirm the earlier reports that a delegation would be sent by Israel. In a White House statement, US President Joe Biden welcomed Netanyahu’s decision.
Israel’s Channel 12 says that the head of Mossad will lead the delegation.
Israeli official: ‘Significant breakthrough’ in Hamas proposal
More noises are coming from the Israelis indicating that there is potential for a ceasefire to be reached with Hamas.
An official from Israel’s negotiating team has told Reuters that Hamas’s latest ceasefire proposal included a “significant breakthrough” without specifying what it was.
The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, was quoted as saying there is a “real chance” a deal will be agreed but it depends on Netanyahu. “It can serve to advance negotiations,” the official said. “There’s a deal with a real chance of implementation. Though the clauses are not easy, they shouldn’t scupper the deal.”
How much the official’s point of view reflects Netanyahu’s remains to be seen. There appears to be a growing rift between the military and others within Israel’s security and political establishment willing to secure a deal on one side and Netanyahu and his far-right allies on the other, who have consistently reiterated their desire to prioritise the total military defeat of Hamas.
Breakthrough on Hamas-Israel deal, US official says
There’s increasingly positive news on the potential for a deal being struck between Israel and Hamas, this time from the US.
A senior US official told reporters that Biden and Netanyahu had walked through the draft agreement during the call they had today and there had been a “breakthrough”, Reuters reported.
Other details from the official include:
- There are still outstanding issues related to the implementation of the agreement, but Hamas’s response has moved the process forward and may provide a basis for closing a deal on the release of captives held in Gaza and a ceasefire in the enclave.
- The US believes there is a significant opening for a deal, and Hamas has made a significant adjustment in its position regarding a deal.
- The next Israel-Hamas ceasefire talks are likely to take place in Doha.
- A US delegation will take part in the Israel-Hamas talks.
